SADC Ministers to meet in Zimbabwe over food security, blue economy

The Southern African Development Community (SADC) will convene a joint meeting of Ministers responsible for agriculture, food security, fisheries and aquaculture on May 29, 2026, in Victoria Falls, as part of efforts to strengthen regional food systems and expand the blue economy.

The meeting will be chaired by South Africa's Minister of Agriculture, John Steenhuisen, in his capacity as Chairperson of the SADC Joint Committee of Ministers for Agriculture, Food Security, Fisheries and Aquaculture.

Senior government officials from across SADC member states will meet on May 27 and 28 ahead of the ministerial session to prepare key agenda items.

The ministers are expected to review progress on previous regional decisions and deliberate on strategies to accelerate food systems transformation, enhance climate resilience, and unlock opportunities in the blue economy.

Key issues on the agenda include regional food and nutrition security, rainfall performance, crop production forecasts for the 2025/26 agricultural season, and outlooks for 2026/27.

The meeting will also focus on increasing youth participation in agribusiness, the SADC Rice Development Strategy, fertiliser and seed regulatory frameworks, and regional phytosanitary measures aimed at improving agricultural trade.

Another key area of discussion will be the regional response to Foot-and-mouth disease outbreaks, with emphasis on coordinated vaccination programmes, cross-border surveillance, and improved information sharing among member states to protect livestock and food security.

Fisheries and aquaculture will also feature prominently, including updates on the PROFISHBLUE programme and progress in implementing the regional aquaculture strategy.

Outcomes from the meeting will be submitted to the SADC Council of Ministers and are expected to support implementation of the bloc's Regional Indicative Strategic Development Plan and long-term Vision 2050 agenda.