Agriculture is at the heart of the Zimbabwean economy and of EU engagement with Zimbabwe, as it provides employment for approximately 52% of the population and contributes about 17% of Zimbabwe's GDP. Energy is essential in agricultural production and the transportation of commodities. Examples are irrigation, heating, cooling and processing. Unfortunately, the agricultural sector experiences energy related challenges due to unpredictable and unreliable grid power, and resorts to reliance on diesel generation, which is costly and undermines profitability.
Zimbabwe has abundant renewable energy potential. It has hydropower resources and strong solar potential. Agricultural waste streams create possibilities for energy production such as biogas biomass, etc. The falling costs of renewable energy and the increasing demand for energy is creating a timesensitive opportunity to support how Zimbabwe's agricultural value chain is powered.
The energy-food nexus is growing in relevance internationally and gaining support in multifaceted fronts:
- decarbonisation across traded supply chains, which is creating compliance pressure andcompetitive advantage for agricultural exporters who transition to renewable energy.
- Governments across Africa and the world, such as Egypt and India, are developing national frameworks that formally integrate energy and agriculture policy, reflecting a global shift toward energy-smart food systems.
- IRENA and the FAO jointly published a report on renewables for agri-food systems and released a Zimbabwe-specific report on decentralised renewable energy for agriculture in April 2025.
- Multilateral organisations including SEforALL and REN21 are increasingly positioning distributed renewable energy as the primary pathway to rural energy access and productive use in agriculture across Sub-Saharan Africa.