Harare, (New Ziana) – The Southern African Development Community (SADC) is set to convene a high-level joint meeting of ministers responsible for agriculture, food security, fisheries and aquaculture in Victoria Falls on May 29, as the region intensifies efforts to tackle recurring food insecurity, climate change-induced droughts and the need to unlock opportunities within the blue economy.
The meeting is expected to bring together ministers and senior government officials from across the 16-member regional bloc to deliberate on strategies aimed at strengthening agricultural productivity, improving regional food systems and promoting sustainable fisheries and aquaculture development.
South Africa’s Minister of Agriculture, John Steenhuisen, will chair the ministerial session in his capacity as Chairperson of the SADC Joint Committee of Ministers responsible for Agriculture, Food Security, Fisheries and Aquaculture.
Ahead of the ministerial engagement, senior officials from member states will meet on May 27 and 28 to review technical reports, assess progress on regional agricultural programmes and prepare recommendations for adoption by ministers.
The gathering comes at a critical time for Southern Africa, with several countries in the region continuing to battle the effects of prolonged dry spells, erratic rainfall patterns and rising food import bills caused by climate change and economic shocks.
Recent droughts linked to the El Niño weather phenomenon left millions of people across Southern Africa vulnerable to hunger, forcing governments and humanitarian agencies to scale up food assistance programmes.
Countries such as Zimbabwe, Zambia and Malawi have in recent years recorded reduced maize harvests, putting additional pressure on regional food reserves and livelihoods dependent on rain-fed agriculture.
Against this backdrop, the Victoria Falls meeting is expected to focus on building resilient food systems, promoting climate-smart agriculture and enhancing cooperation among member states to improve food availability and nutrition security.
The joint meeting is also expected to review progress made under various regional agricultural and food security frameworks, including initiatives aimed at boosting cross-border trade in agricultural commodities and improving resilience to climate-related disasters.
New Ziana
