Dr. Edson Badarai (PhD)

His Excellency President Emmerson Mnangagwa officially launched the expanded Smallholder Agricultural Mechanisation Facility / Pfumvudza / Intwasa at the Institute of Agricultural Engineering in Hatcliffe.The programme bridges the mechanisation gap between large commercial estates and smallholder/communal farmers across Zimbabwe's 35,000 villages. The package consists of 25hp tractors with matching implements, two-wheel tractors, direct seeders, trailers, multi-crop threshers and tool bars.Through local institutions like AFC, CBZ, Women Empowerment Bank and POSB, qualifying farmers and units can access equipment on structured loans and repayment terms.The programme is targeting Village Business Units, schools, Youth Business Units and rural households in Pfumvudza/Intwasa. @InfoMinZW @MoLAFWRD_Zim #FoodSecurityEverywhereEveryday

Selling raw produce sells our profit to someone else. When we export raw grain, fruit or hides, the jobs and the extra value go with them. Value addition keeps jobs, income and opportunity in our rural communities, from milling and packaging to drying and processing, every product we finish at home is wealth we keep at home. Process more, earn more. #FoodSecurityEverywhereEveryday

Production is the start of the story, not the end. Growing more is only the first step. Real transformation comes when strong institutions, local industries and value chains turn what we grow into wealth, jobs and growth. Agriculture must drive Zimbabwe’s economic transformation, not just feed it. #FoodSecurityEverywhereEveryday

At the ongoing 2027 Strategic Planning Workshop in Bulawayo, I challenges our agricultural entities to become more efficient, profitable and self-sustaining while remaining firmly aligned with their national mandates. Our focus must be on strengthening local fertiliser manufacturing, reducing dependence on imports, accelerating tobacco value addition and expanding domestic processing capacity. Entities such as COTTCO, SILO and ZFC have an important role to play in driving this transformation.We must move beyond exporting raw commodities and increasingly produce, process and export value-added products. This calls for stronger collaboration between the Ministry, its entities, the MUTAPA Fund and development partners to mobilise investment, technology and expertise. #FoodSecurityEverywhereEveryday

We are in Bulawayo this week attending the Ministry's Strategic Planning Retreat. It is an honour to join the Hon. Minister Dr. Anxious Jongwe Masuka, Deputy Minister Hon D Marapira , Ministry leadership, Board Chairs, and CEOs of parastatals as we reflect, re-strategise and recommit. The Minister's opening address set the tone clear, candid and people-centred. As we face the forecast of a possible El Niño-induced drought in the 2026/27 season, we cannot afford business as usual. We must be proactive. Our deliberations are anchored on: 1. Strategic Grain Security: Building our Strategic Grain Reserve to 600,000 metric tonnes by August 2027. 2. Climate-Smart Agriculture: Making agriculture a business at every scale from communal to commercial through climate-smart practices and strong value chains. 3. Protecting Livelihoods: Rolling out drought mitigation centres across 1,527 rural wards to protect livestock, prevent distress sales, and strengthen early warning systems. 4. Resilience at Household Level: Because our mandate is #FoodSecurityEverywhereEveryday. It is not just about national food security, but food sovereignty ensuring every household can produce enough for itself. #FoodSecurityEverywhereEveryday

Science must lead the season. Drought-tolerant and early-maturing varieties, matched to each agro-ecological region, are among our strongest tools. Choose your seed with your region and the forecast in mind. #FoodSecurityEverywhereEveryday

Irrigation is the most dependable insurance against erratic rainfall. We are speeding up irrigation development and the rehabilitation of schemes so that more hectares are productive whatever the rains do. #FoodSecurityEverywhereEveryday

A drought does not only affect crops. It affects grain supplies, livestock, farmers' incomes, markets and access to information. That is why our drought mitigation plan does not focus on one area alone, but addresses all of these at once. With a super El Niño forecast, a coordinated response ensures that no part of the food system is left exposed. Drought is a whole-system challenge, and it demands a whole-system response. #FoodSecurityEverywhereEveryday