Zimbabwe’s Agriculture Opportunity What South Africa Teach

Zimbabwe’s agricultural sector has the potential to become a much stronger force in Southern Africa, but unlocking that potential will require more than increasing production in a handful of successful export crops.

According to agricultural economist Wandile Sihlobo, Zimbabwe must rebuild investor confidence, strengthen land governance, embrace agricultural technology and create conditions that allow commercial farmers and agribusinesses to operate at scale.

Speaking about the relationship between South Africa and Zimbabwe, Sihlobo argued that South Africans should look beyond the outdated perception of Zimbabwe as an agricultural failure.

The reality, he said, is far more complex.

Zimbabwe spends more than $1 billion each year importing agricultural and food products from South Africa. That makes the country one of South Africa’s most important agricultural markets and highlights the scale of commercial opportunity that exists between the two neighbors.

Sihlobo noted that South Africa’s agricultural sector earns more than $1 billion annually from exports to Zimbabwe. The market accounts for roughly 8 percent of South Africa’s agricultural exports, putting it close to the country’s agricultural exports to the BRICS economies and the United Kingdom.

Zimbabwe Is More Important to South Africa Than Many Realize

Zimbabwe’s position as a major destination for South African agricultural products gives the relationship strategic importance.

Although the Netherlands ranks ahead of Zimbabwe among destinations for South African agricultural exports, Sihlobo pointed out that the Netherlands serves as a major entry point into the wider European Union market.

From that perspective, Zimbabwe can be regarded as South Africa’s largest individual agricultural market.

The relationship is also supported by regional trade arrangements. Both countries belong to the Southern African Development Community, which provides a framework for regional economic integration and tariff free trade across participating markets.

That existing relationship creates an opportunity to move beyond simply trading agricultural products and toward developing integrated regional value chains.

Land Reform Remains Central to Zimbabwe’s Agricultural Recovery

For Zimbabwe, however, the path to a stronger agricultural economy begins with restoring confidence around land rights.

Sihlobo said farmers need certainty that their investments will not be undermined by uncertainty over land ownership and tenure.

That confidence is important for both domestic and international investment.

Whether a farmer is white, black, Indian or from another background, Sihlobo argued that investors need assurance that their agricultural activities will be protected by a predictable legal and policy environment.

Zimbabwe’s land reform program in the early 2000s remains a major factor influencing the country’s ability to access financing and attract long term investment into agriculture.

Addressing the legacy of that period will therefore require more than political statements. It will require credible reforms that give farmers, lenders and agribusinesses confidence that the rules of the market are stable.

Policy Communication Could Help Rebuild Investor Confidence

Economic reform alone may not be enough.

Sihlobo argued that Zimbabwean authorities must also communicate reforms consistently and clearly.

For investors, uncertainty can be as damaging as an unfavorable policy.

Even when governments introduce meaningful reforms, weak communication can prevent businesses from recognizing that the operating environment has changed.

A sustained communication strategy could therefore become an important part of Zimbabwe’s agricultural recovery.

The objective would be to demonstrate that policy changes are real, measurable and designed to provide long term stability for businesses operating in the sector.

Technology Could Transform Zimbabwean Agriculture

Beyond policy reform, technology could play a major role in changing Zimbabwe’s agricultural fortunes.

Sihlobo believes South Africa has agricultural technologies, expertise and commercial capabilities that could increasingly be deployed across the Zimbabwean market.

That could create opportunities for companies involved in irrigation, mechanization, precision agriculture, logistics, processing, agricultural finance and digital farming solutions.

The opportunity extends beyond selling equipment.

South African and Zimbabwean businesses could develop regional agricultural value chains that connect farmers to processors, distributors and export markets.

Such integration would help both countries capture more value from agriculture instead of simply exporting raw commodities.

Zimbabwe Must Look Beyond Tobacco

Tobacco remains one of Zimbabwe’s major agricultural success stories, but Sihlobo cautioned against relying too heavily on a narrow group of agricultural products.

A competitive agricultural economy requires broader diversification.

Zimbabwe has the opportunity to develop commercial production across multiple agricultural subsectors while strengthening processing and export capacity.

The bigger objective should be to build an agricultural economy capable of supplying domestic consumers while competing more effectively in international markets.

That requires investment, technology, infrastructure and access to finance.

It also requires reforms that encourage farmers to produce at commercially viable scale.

Commercial Farming Can Drive Agricultural Growth

Sihlobo also emphasized the importance of commercial agriculture in Zimbabwe’s strategy.

That does not mean abandoning smallholder farmers.

Smallholder agriculture remains important for regional food security and rural livelihoods.

However, Zimbabwe’s ambition to become a significant player in global agricultural trade will require commercial agricultural enterprises capable of producing at scale and supplying reliable volumes to markets.

Larger farms can support investment in modern equipment, irrigation, storage and processing infrastructure.

They can also create stronger links between primary producers and agribusinesses.

The key, Sihlobo suggested, is to create an environment where farmers can access sufficiently large and secure areas of land to build commercially sustainable operations.

Agriculture Could Have a Wider Economic Impact

Agriculture currently represents around 10 percent of Zimbabwe’s gross domestic product.

That means a stronger agricultural sector could have effects far beyond farming.

Higher agricultural production could stimulate demand for machinery, transportation, financial services, storage, processing and other business activities.

It could also support job creation across rural and urban economies.

For Zimbabwe, agriculture therefore represents not simply a food security issue but a broader economic development opportunity.

A more productive sector could strengthen exports, reduce dependence on imported food and create new opportunities for entrepreneurs and investors.