Zimbabwe will execute a major shift in its agricultural sector at the National Agricultural Conference and Expo 2026 through two twin strategic objectives aimed at reducing its US$2 billion agricultural import bill and positioning itself as a vital regional food hub.

The National Agriculture Conference and Expo 2026, themed Transforming Agriculture for Resilience, Investment, and Inclusive Growth, will be held on September 17 and 18, 2026, at the Diamond Conference Centre at the University of Zimbabwe.

The primary objective focuses on an aggressive localisation initiative designed to reduce the country’s US$2 billion agricultural import bill.

Under this strategy, domestic production and processing will be scaled to replace foreign food imports with locally grown commodities, easing foreign exchange pressures and boosting local value chains.

Alongside import substitution, the second key output aims to execute a transformative strategy that positions the nation as a premier regional food hub, establishing Zimbabwe as a key exporter of agricultural products within neighbouring African markets.

 The event is being hosted by the Ministry of Agriculture, Mechanisation and Water Resources Development in collaboration with the Agricultural Marketing Authority and Africa Economic Development Strategies (AEDS) as a research partner.

Industry players, institutional investors, and agricultural policymakers are scheduled to convene over the two days to formulate actionable execution roadmaps around the twin outputs.

Organisers aim to build long-term climate resilience, secure domestic food production, and drive inclusive economic growth through aligning policy interventions with private sector investment.