Zimbabwe is a landlocked country in Southern Africa sharing borders with Zambia, Mozambique, South Africa, and Botswana. The country has a population of about 16 million, characterized by diverse agro‑ecological zones and a strong reliance on agriculture for livelihoods. The sector contributes significantly to employment especially in rural areas, while smallholder farmers dominate food production systems. Key staples include maize, sorghum, and wheat. Livestock production, particularly cattle, goats, and poultry, is a critical economic and social asset for many rural communities. 

For the past five years, agriculture experienced significant growth, underpinning food security, rural livelihoods and export earnings. The sector registered a growth of 17.5% in 2021, before contracting by 18.1% in 2024, largely due to the adverse effects of the 2023/2024 El Niño-induced drought. The sector experienced a rebound in 2025, which is estimated to have grown by 24%, contributing 10.8% to overall GDP, up from 9.3% in 2024. 

Zimbabwe has a total land area of over 39 million hectares, with 33.3 million hectares used for agricultural purposes. The remaining 6 million hectares have been reserved for national parks and wildlife, and for urban settlements. The country comprises of four physio-geographic regions, which are the Eastern Highlands, the Highveld, the Middleveld and the Lowveld.

FAO works with the Government of Zimbabwe through various departments including the Ministry of Agriculture, Mechanisation and Water Resources Development and the  Ministry of Environment, Climate and Wildlife in collaboration with development partners in implementing the 2022 - 2026 Country Programming Framework guided by the FAO Strategic Framework 2022-31 which seeks to support the 2030 Agenda through the transformation to MORE efficient, inclusive, resilient and sustainable agrifood systems for better production, better nutrition, a better environment, and a better life - leaving no one behind.

In Zimbabwe, FAO's efforts in sustainable agrifood systems transformation are aligned to the National Development Strategy 2 (NDS 2) and the Agriculture Food Systems and Rural Transformation Strategy (AFSRT2). The NDS 2 signifies the country's resolve as a Nation to transition towards a Prosperous and Empowered Upper Middle-Income Society as enunciated in Vision 2030 while the AFSRT2 serves as a catalytic instrument for transforming Zimbabwe’s agrifood systems in alignment with Vision 2030.