Key stakeholders across Zimbabwe’s agricultural value chain will converge for the National Agriculture Conference and Expo (NACE) 2026 to drive the sector’s next phase of growth as the primary engine of the national economy.

Held under the theme Transforming Agriculture for Resilience, Investment, and Inclusive Growth, the high-level policy and investment platform will run from September 24 to 25, 2026, at the Diamond Conference Centre at the University of Zimbabwe.

Hosted by the Ministry of Agriculture, Mechanisation and Water Resources Development in collaboration with the Agricultural Marketing Authority (AMA) and Africa Economic Development Strategies (AEDS), the conference is structured around two key strategic targets.

NACE will develop a disruptive localisation strategy to eliminate agricultural import by US$2 billion and establish the country as a regional food hub.

Agriculture remains the cornerstone of Zimbabwe’s economy, underpinning rural livelihoods, industrial raw material supply, and foreign exchange generation.

Under the Agriculture, Food Systems and Rural Transformation Strategy I (AFSRTS), the sector expanded significantly, with its gross economic value growing from US$5.2 billion in 2019 to US$10.3 billion in 2024.

Key growth milestones during this period included record wheat harvests exceeding domestic requirements, cereal production reaching nearly 2.9 million tonnes, gains in dairy and livestock production, and the expansion of functional irrigated land from 151,000 to 233,000 hectares.

Despite these structural gains, the sector remains susceptible to external and environmental shocks, as highlighted by an estimated 12% contraction in 2024 caused by an El Niño-induced drought.

Persistent challenges such as infrastructure gaps, limited access to long-term capital, weak value chain integration, and low unit productivity continue to constrain maximum output.

NACE 2026 will serve as the operational alignment platform for AFSRTS Phase II (2026–2030), which targets scaling the agricultural economy to US$15.8 billion by 2030.

To achieve this trajectory, the conference will feature several core deliverables designed to translate policy into actionable investment outcomes.

The agenda includes the presentation and validation of an evidence-based State of the Agricultural Sector Study to outline structural bottlenecks, emerging risk factors, and short-to-medium-term sectoral outlooks through 2027.

Additionally, the event will mark the launch of the Agricultural Investment Prospectus, unveiling a curated pipeline of bankable opportunities across crop production, livestock, cold-chain logistics, and irrigation infrastructure to crowd in domestic and foreign direct investment.

Structured high-level public-private sector dialogues between government ministries, regulatory bodies, commercial financiers, input suppliers, and agribusinesses will address regulatory bottlenecks, de-risk primary production, and enhance local processing capabilities.

The conference will provide a platform for technology providers, financial institutions, and equipment manufacturers to showcase climate-smart innovations, precision farming tools, and modern mechanisation services.

The two-day summit will feature multi-sectoral participation spanning crop farming, livestock and dairy sub-sectors, agro-processing, agricultural finance, water resource management, and regional trade logistics.

Core thematic discussions will centre on scaling climate-resilient practices, expanding access to blended finance, strengthening trade linkages under the African Continental Free Trade Area, and integrating smallholder producers into commercial value chains.