By Zachary Gava
Harare, (New Ziana) – Zimbabwe needs stronger and better-coordinated policies to turn agroecological farming into viable businesses and ensure smallholder farmers benefit more from local food markets, an expert has said.
The call was made on Wednesday during a national validation meeting thet the Participatory Ecological Land Use Management (PELUM) Zimbabwe organized to review and strengthen a draft Policy Brief and Position Paper on Agroecological Entrepreneurship and Territorial Markets in Zimbabwe.
PELUM Zimbabwe programmes officer Farirai Jemwa said the meeting was intended to ensure that the policy recommendations were grounded in the realities of farmers, traders, entrepreneurs, women, young people and consumers.
“We are here to review, test and strengthen the draft Policy Brief and Position Paper on Agroecological Entrepreneurship and Territorial Markets in Zimbabwe,” Jemwa said.
She said the documents had been developed following a review of existing policies and consultations involving government Ministries, Parliamentarians, local authorities, market leaders, farmer organisations, entrepreneurs, women, youth and consumers.
The process was particularly important because Zimbabwe already has national policy frameworks that recognize the importance of resilient and inclusive food systems, but agroecological entrepreneurship and territorial markets have not received sufficient and coordinated policy attention, she said.
“The African Agroecological Entrepreneurship (AAE) Initiative responds to a clear opportunity. Zimbabwe’s NDS2 (2026-2030), the Agriculture Food Systems and Rural Transformation Strategy (AFSRTS 2) and the Food and Nutrition Security Policy all recognize resilient, inclusive food systems as national priorities,” she said.
“Yet policy engagement on agroecological entrepreneurship and territorial markets remains fragmented, under-coordinated and not sufficiently informed by grassroots evidence.”
Jemwa said smallholder farmers, vendors, women and young people constitute an important part of Zimbabwe’s food system but are frequently left out of policy discussions that directly affect their livelihoods.
The initiative seeks to strengthen coordination among stakeholders, generate evidence-based policy recommendations, facilitate engagement between stakeholders and Government decision-makers, and document commitments arising from the engagements.
Jemwa said the process had deliberately incorporated the experiences of women, youth and persons with disabilities through interviews, focus group discussions and other consultations.
She added that exposure visits had also enabled policymakers to see agroecological enterprises and territorial markets first-hand, helping to connect policy discussions with realities on the ground.
“Validation is where this work becomes ours collectively,” Jemwa said, stressing that stakeholders needed to scrutinize the documents to ensure that the recommendations were accurate, credible and practical.
“Recommendations must be realistic within existing government systems and institutional mandates,” she said.
The validation comes at a time when PELUM Zimbabwe is intensifying its efforts to promote agroecology as a pathway towards improved food security, sustainable livelihoods and environmental protection.
PELUM Zimbabwe is part of the regional PELUM network and began operating in Zimbabwe following the launch of the regional PELUM Association in 1995.
The organisation works through member organisations that support small-scale farmers and communities, with its programs focusing on agroecology, seed sovereignty, sustainable land management, farmer empowerment, advocacy and knowledge exchange.
PELUM says its agroecological work has positively impacted more than one million small-scale farmers in Zimbabwe.
Its emphasis on territorial markets also reflects growing recognition of the importance of local markets in connecting small-scale producers with consumers.
Previous work involving PELUM has highlighted markets such as Mbare as important channels through which locally produced food can reach consumers while creating livelihoods for farmers and traders.
The policy validation meeting also builds on PELUM Zimbabwe’s efforts to raise public awareness around indigenous foods and seed systems.
In September this year, the organisation hosted the National Good Seed and Food Festival at the Harare Botanical Gardens under the theme “It’s Our Life: Safeguarding Indigenous Seeds and Food Diversity.”
The two-day festival brought together farmers and other stakeholders to showcase indigenous seeds, traditional foods and agroecological practices, while promoting food sovereignty and Zimbabwe’s agricultural heritage.
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