Online Reporter
Business Reporter
Integrated media giant Zimpapers, will tomorrow host the highly anticipated Zimbabwe Agriculture Climate Resilience Summit 2026.
The strategic solution-based event is set to take place at the Harare Show Grounds (Robbie Mupawose venue) ahead of the upcoming farming cycle which is likely to be affected by a forecast Super El Niño.
Convened under the defining premise that El Niño does not automatically equate to devastating drought, the high-level gathering focuses on bridging the gap between scientific weather forecasting and practical farm-level defense to safeguard national food security.
Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Agriculture, Mechanization and Water Resources Development, Professor Obert Jiri will headline the high-stakes conference as the main speaker, delivering the keynote address to outline the Government’s strategic vision for the upcoming production cycle.
Rather than relying on reactive disaster relief following a bad season, the Zimpapers-hosted initiative is designed as a proactive intervention to assess national system readiness across all potential rainfall scenarios using a strict six-pillar preparedness framework.
A heavy emphasis is being placed on transforming raw meteorological data into actionable field strategies. Technical briefings from meteorologist Tapiwa Masawi and agrometeorologist Hillary Mugiyo will unpack seasonal forecasts and distill survival models from previous El Niño cycles to dictate immediate farm operations, moisture conservation, and optimal crop matching.
To shield productivity across both cropping and livestock regions, the summit’s itinerary features targeted blueprints from top private sector and academic leaders. Wendy Madzura, Seed Co Group’s Head of Agronomy for Africa, will lead discussions on farm-level contingency planning and stress-tolerant seed varieties.
Concurrently, livestock assets are receiving dedicated attention, with Dr. Jacob Gusha from the University of Zimbabwe Agro-industrial Park and Mr Milton Makumbe, Production Director for Fisheries and Livestock Production, introducing early protocols for intensive fodder conservation, grazing management, and preventative herd vaccinations.
Crucially, the conference aims to restructure the financial and technological architecture backing local farmers. Wellington Mutizwa, Managing Director of CBZ Agro Yield, will steer a critical segment on shifting commercial financial models toward funding anticipatory readiness rather than financing expensive post-crisis recovery.
Additionally, the Agricultural Marketing Authority (AMA) will map out supply chain protections to stabilize food prices, while tech pioneers like Wenceslous Nyamupfukudza, Managing Director of Afrostain Farmtech, demonstrate how AI, satellite analytics, and drone precision mapping can optimize land layout before weather patterns shift.
By gathering Government ministries, development partners, private corporations, and local farming communities under one roof, Zimpapers looks to turn climate warnings into a bulletproof shield for Zimbabwe’s agricultural future.
