Zimbabwe establishes a national platform for a smarter post-harvest management architecture

Harare – Zimbabwe’s agriculture sector is producing well with an upward production trend, but so much value of the food produced is lost post-production due to weak post-harvest infrastructure, like storage, cold chains, and processing. This lost value reduces farmer incomes. This is further worsened by fragmented, poorly coordinated interventions. It is against this backdrop that the Government of Zimbabwe with technical support from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), has established the National Post-Harvest and Agro-Processing Technical Working Group (TWG).

This initiative is a strategic shift towards aligning stakeholders, expertise, coordination and investments to curb post-harvest losses by strengthening primary handling, aggregation, storage and agro-processing across staple value chains.

“The Technical Working Group will serve as a coordinated national platform to integrate technical expertise, policy guidance, innovation, and stakeholder collaboration. It will address post-harvest challenges comprehensively and sustainably across cereals, horticulture, legumes, oilseeds, livestock products, and fisheries,” said Professor Obert Jiri, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Agriculture, Mechanization and Water Resources Development, in a speech read on his behalf by Nhlanhla Magama, Director of Agricultural Engineering and Mechanisation.

The TWG is envisioned as a mechanism that will help Zimbabwe protect food value after harvest, strengthen agro-industrial development, and improve incomes and market access for value chain actors, while building a more resilient and competitive food system. With its establishment through support from FAO, the Government of Zimbabwe is aligning with the African Union’s post-harvest loss (PHL) strategy, adopted under the 2014 Malabo Declaration on Accelerated Agricultural Growth. Zimbabwe is the fourth country in Africa to establish a post-harvest management TWG.

The launch of the TWG reflects FAO’s strong commitment to working collaboratively with the Government, farmers, and partners to accelerate  further gains in agricultural production through improved post-harvest management. Supporting the development of the TWG is part of FAO’s global efforts to reduce food loss and waste, improve value chain efficiency, and promote sustainable transformation of agrifood systems. FAO provided the essential technical support required to establish the TWG and to convene this launch event  alongside the Government to provide facilitation, documentation, coordination support, and technical guidance for the TWG’s operational set-up.

“The formation of this multi-stakeholder Technical Working Group is both timely and strategic. It creates an important national platform that brings together the Government, private sector actors, research institutions, development partners, farmers, and civil society. Through this platform, stakeholders can coordinate efforts, share knowledge, foster innovation, and guide policy and investment priorities in post-harvest food loss and waste management,” said Patrice Talla, FAO Subregional Coordinator for Southern Africa and Representative to Zimbabwe.

Operationalizing the Technical Working Group

Aligned to the National Development Strategy (NDS2) and the Agriculture Food Systems and Rural Transformation Strategy (AFSRT2), the TWG will serve as a practical national coordination platform that brings coherence to post-harvest actions across value chains, from grain storage to cold chains. It will drive research and technology uptake, inform standards and food safety policies with evidence, strengthen collaboration among the Government, private sector, academia and partners, and build farmer and extension capacity for more business-oriented post-harvest management. It will also help mobilise resources and partnerships for sustainable infrastructure, including efforts towards a proposed Post-Harvest and Agro-Processing Development Facility.

The inaugural inception workshop of the TWG, held in Harare, was deliberately structured to move stakeholders from a shared understanding of the challenge to concrete institutional decisions. Proceedings began with an overview of the national post-harvest context, outlining the rationale for establishing the TWG. The agenda then shifted quickly to “how the platform will work.” A dedicated session presented the proposed TWG framework, including its structure and governance, membership, and core functions, followed by a consultative process to get feedback on stakeholders’ perspectives and experiences, to ensure co-creation and co-ownership of the TWG.

“What we are establishing is not another meeting structure, it is a delivery mechanism. By agreeing on thematic workstreams, governance arrangements, and clear priorities from day one, the TWG creates the conditions for coordinated investment, faster adoption of proven technologies, and stronger accountability for results across value chains,” said Cephas Taruvinga, Food Loss and Waste Reduction Specialist at FAO Zimbabwe.

Going forward, the TWG is expected to function as a continuous coordination, monitoring and evaluation platform, tracking progress, documenting what works, spotlighting bottlenecks, and reporting on measurable reductions in post-harvest losses over time. With regular engagement, shared data, and aligned investments, the TWG can help ensure that Zimbabwe’s production gains are matched by equally strong systems for storage, handling, processing, and market delivery, so that more food reaches people, and more value returns to farmers and agribusinesses.