HARARE, May 29 (Xinhua) -- Member states of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) should strengthen collaboration to build a food-secure and resilient region capable of withstanding current and future shocks, a senior SADC official said on Friday.
Speaking at a joint meeting of SADC ministers responsible for agriculture, food security, fisheries and aquaculture in the Zimbabwean resort town of Victoria Falls, Deputy Executive Secretary Angele Makombo N'tumba said the region must scale up crop and livestock production, accelerate fisheries development, and harness the blue economy.
She noted that regional food security challenges have been compounded by the Middle East conflict, which has disrupted global supply chains for energy and agricultural inputs, particularly nitrogen, urea, and ammonia fertilizers.
According to N'tumba, agriculture remains the backbone of the SADC region, sustaining over 70 percent of the regional population through direct food production, trade, and downstream value chains.
John Steenhuisen, South Africa's agriculture minister and current chairperson of the ministerial committee, warned that global shocks are increasingly intersecting with climate-related disasters and disease outbreaks.
"Across the world, we are seeing disruptions to supply chains, rising input costs -- particularly fertilizer prices -- inflationary pressures, and growing competition over strategic resources," Steenhuisen said, urging the region to build adaptive, inclusive, and regionally coordinated food systems.
Zimbabwean Minister of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development Anxious Masuka noted that disruptions should spur the SADC to accelerate its agricultural resilience.
"The development of a super El Nino in the 2026/2027 season, as predicted by early climate models, should spur us to develop appropriate mitigation and adaptation measures," Masuka said.
