By Chiyedzo Josiah Dimbo Ambassador of Hope
HARARE — “The history of every nation is eventually written in the way in which it cares for its soil.”Franklin D. Roosevelt
Those words have never been more urgent. This August, as Zimbabwe honors its Heroes, that truth finds its clearest expression at the 116th edition of Zimbabwe Agricultural Show, running 24-29 August 2026 under the theme: “Empowering Growth: Where Agriculture, Technology & Commerce Converge.”
Because in Zimbabwe, how we care for our soil will determine how we write our next chapter: a $15.8 billion agricultural economy by 2030.
WHY SOIL HEALTH MATTERS: REGIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL BENCHMARKS
The science is consistent across continents: healthy soils equal higher yields. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations estimates that at least one-third of global soils are already degraded, and degraded soils can reduce crop productivity by up to 50%. The cost is enormous. The United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification reports that land degradation costs Africa an estimated $68 billion every year. That is the hidden tax on every seed planted.
The African Union’s Fertilizer and Soil Health Action Plan, adopted in 2023, is built on the same recognition: rebuilding soil fertility is not optional; it is the foundation of food security and economic transformation. Regionally, SADC has placed soil conservation at the centre of its food-security agenda because more than 70% of southern Africans depend on agriculture, and declining soil health is directly tied to volatile yields across the region.
The good news is that proven solutions exist. International research shows that conservation agriculture can raise crop yields by 30% to 100% on degraded fields while building organic matter, improving water retention, and cutting input costs. For Zimbabwe, this is the shortest route to national wealth: healthy soils are the cheapest fertilizer, the surest crop insurance, and the true foundation of a $15.8BN economy.
THE SOIL IS THE STORY
The First and Second Chimurenga were fought for this soil. The Land Reform Programme returned it to its rightful owners. Now, the task is to make it pay.
ZAS 116 is not just an exhibition. It is a national soil audit. It is where 352 local and international exhibitors, with 66,000m² already booked against a target of 630 exhibitors across 89,000m², will showcase how we are moving from extracting from the land to investing in it.
From conservation agriculture and smart irrigation to bio-fertilizers and soil health testing, the showgrounds will become a living laboratory. Because Healthy Soil. Sustainable Future. Stronger Zimbabwe.is no longer a slogan. It is the baseline for Vision 2030.
POWERING GROWTH: FROM RAW TO REFINED
Agriculture already contributes an estimated 17% to GDP, supplies 60% of industrial raw materials, and generates up to 40% of export earnings. But raw exports will never get us to $15.8BN.
That is why ZAS 116’s theme is deliberate. _Powering Growth_ means powering value addition. Powering agro-processing hubs in every district. Powering the journey of maize to mealie-meal, of cotton to garments, of beef to branded exports, of horticulture to cold-chain logistics.
This is the same soil our heroes died for. Now it must feed factories, employ youth, and earn foreign currency. The show will spotlight technologies and commercial linkages that turn every hectare into a revenue centre. That is how you multiply farm-gate returns 100 times over.
PEOPLE, PRODUCTION, PURPOSE
A $15.8BN economy can not be built by policy alone. It will be built by people.
ZAS 116 places youth, women, and people with disabilities at the centre. Agripreneurship hubs, digital extension, mechanization schemes, and market linkages will be on display. The message is clear: farming is business. Farming is dignified. Farming is the future.
When 60-70% of Zimbabweans derive livelihoods from agriculture, caring for the soil is caring for the nation. It is how we curb rural-urban migration, ensure food and nutrition security, and leave no one behind.
THE ICING ON HEROES MONTH
Coming in Heroes Month, ZAS 116 carries symbolic weight. The unknown soldiers gave us the land. Our generation must give it productivity.
From the tomb of the Unknown Soldier to the exhibition halls of ZAS, the baton has passed. The salute is now a shovel. The wreath is now a seedling. The memory is now measured in yield per hectare, in processing plants commissioned, in export dollars earned.
History will judge us by our soil. ZAS 116 is Zimbabwe’s answer.
It is where we declare: we will not just be a breadbasket. We will be a Regional Agric Hub. We will not just grow crops. We will grow an economy.
$15.8BN by 2030 starts here. In the soil. At ZAS 116.