Zimbabwe Launches Groundbreaking Feed and Fodder Master Plan to Revitalise Livestock Economy

By Ilyana Sithole

HARARE – The Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water, and Rural Development has launched a master plan to revolutionise its feed and fodder industry, a crucial leap towards the revival of the country’s livestock economy and strengthening food security. The pioneering Multi-Stakeholder Platform Strategic Planning Workshop is happening this week in Harare in a bid to carry forward this revolutionary agenda. From February 25th, today, to February 27th, the workshop themed “A Multi-Stakeholder Approach to Building an Economic Feed and Fodder Sector” brings together diverse stakeholders to chart the way for a better, more productive, and sustainable future for livestock.

Livestock is economically valuable to many Zimbabweans not just because it is a source of income; it is a pillar of rural livelihoods and sustains about 70% of the country’s population. The industry has been suffering over the last few years because of low-quality feedstocks combined with ever more unpredictable weather patterns and destructive effects of global warming. The 2023-2024 drought that took over 20,000 head of cattle was a painful reminder of the industry’s vulnerability and a push to a greener alternative.

Zimbabwe in 2024 provided a very serious thrust to the challenge of it by starting the Multi-Stakeholder Platform (MSP) with Dr. Nathaniel Makoni as the chairman. This pathfinder action, among the vanguard countries in Africa, is spearheaded by the Resilient African Feed and Fodder (RAFF) Project under the joint coordination of the African Union – InterAfrican Bureau for Animal Resources (AU-IABAR), which is being funded by the Gates Foundation. The MSP endeavours to revolutionise livestock feeding such that farmers have constant, high-quality feed to improve productivity as well as climatic resilience.

This week’s workshop marks a milestone in operationalizing the vision. The delegates are pulling all-nighters draughting the outline of the MSP’s architecture, defining its legal framework, and crafting a robust national feed and fodder value chain strategy. The strategy will address fundamental issues like improving the quality and availability of feeds, developing storage facilities, promoting sustainable agriculture practices, and mobilising investment into the industry.

Dr. Sithokozile Sibanda reiterated the significance of the workshop as a pillar of a strategic plan for the feeds and fodder value chain. “This strategy,” she went on, “will unlock livestock sector resilience and growth and also be a game changer for the Zimbabwe feed and fodder sector.” She also spoke of the industry share of agricultural GDP and strategic positioning that is on the plank of climate change.

Dr. Nathaniel Makoni laid out the choice Zimbabwe has come to. “Feed and fodder security,” he stated, “is not livestock. It’s actually livelihood, economic stability, and the future of sustainable agriculture in our country.” He stressed planning and cooperation and invited the stakeholders to pool their energies to build a strong and stable system.

Workshop discussions are structured to translate strategic goals into practical, actionable plans. This would not be just a question of increasing production and marketing of feed but establishing an enabling environment for the attraction of private investment and constructing gender and other group inclusion in the value chain of livestock.

Lastly, the vision is to be a climate-resilient livestock sector that will be capable of seizing opportunities despite climate change, promote food security, and contribute importantly to Zimbabwe’s economic development. The achievement of this ambitious vision will determine the future direction of Zimbabwe’s livestock sector as well as the livelihoods of millions dependent on it.