By Tafadzwa Muranganwa
Harare, Zimbabwe – The Participatory Ecological Land Use Management (PELUM) Zimbabwe has announced that the 13th edition of the National Seed Fair will take place on 19 September 2025 at the Harare Botanical Gardens.
The event will mark the opening of the two-day Annual Good Seed and Food Festival, running under the theme “Nurturing Our Future, Reviving Our Heritage.”
The fair, coordinated through the Zimbabwe Seed Sovereignty Programme (ZSSP), is set to bring together smallholder farmers, food enthusiasts, cultural performers, and families to celebrate traditional seed and food systems. It will feature seed displays, market stalls, traditional food courts, cooking demonstrations, organic farming dialogues, and live music and dance performances. The event is free and open to the public.
PELUM Zimbabwe said the fair goes beyond an exhibition, serving as a “living bridge between past, present, and future” by linking seed saving traditions with modern calls for agricultural resilience.
“The National Seed Fair has become a unique space where farmers share treasured indigenous seeds, communities showcase traditional foods, and the nation reflects on the importance of protecting our heritage while building a sustainable future,” the organisers said in a statement.
Zimbabwe’s seed and food sovereignty campaigns have, over the past two decades, become central to efforts aimed at protecting indigenous seed varieties and promoting climate-resilient agriculture.
The Zimbabwe Seed Sovereignty Programme (ZSSP), which brings together civil society groups, farmer organisations, and development partners, has been working to safeguard smallholder farmers’ rights to save, share, and exchange indigenous seeds in the face of growing commercial seed dominance.
Campaigns have emphasised the importance of traditional crops such as sorghum, millet, groundnuts, and indigenous vegetables not only for their cultural significance but also for their role in food security, biodiversity conservation, and resilience against climate shocks.
The National Good Seed and Food Festival, under which the Seed Fair falls, has over the years become a flagship platform for celebrating this heritage, advancing dialogue on seed policies, and promoting community-driven agricultural practices rooted in sustainability and justice.
By reviving traditional dishes, promoting indigenous seeds, and creating spaces for intergenerational exchange, Zimbabwe’s seed and food sovereignty campaigns continue to challenge the erosion of local food systems and push for agricultural independence anchored in local knowledge and biodiversity.
