–Seed Co Managing Director Felistas Gurajena sets the tone
By Nevison Mpofu
As the global climate landscape undergoes rapid and unprecedented change, business leaders across Africa are being called upon to rethink traditional growth strategies and place climate resilience at the center of economic planning. This urgent message defined discussions at the Africa CEO Roundtable Conference held in Victoria Falls from March 18 to 21 under the theme “A Spirit of Dialogue — Partnering for Vision 2030.”
Among the leading voices was Seed Co Managing Director Felistas Gurajena, who set the tone for the high-level dialogue by emphasizing that investing in climate resilience is no longer optional but essential for sustaining economic growth. Addressing a distinguished gathering of policymakers, captains of industry and development partners, Gurajena stressed that climate change has evolved beyond an environmental concern into a systemic risk with far-reaching implications across all sectors of the economy.
“Investing in climate resilience spurs economic growth,” she said, underscoring that climate change must now be understood as a business, financial and industrialisation risk. According to her, the impacts of climate change are no longer confined to agriculture, but are cascading across entire economic value chains, disrupting production systems and threatening stability.
She explained that while agriculture has traditionally been viewed as the primary casualty of climate change, the reality is far more complex and interconnected. Erratic rainfall patterns, prolonged droughts and increasing pest outbreaks are affecting farmers’ ability to produce consistently, triggering a ripple effect throughout the economy. Banks are faced with rising non-performing loans as farmers struggle to meet credit obligations, manufacturers encounter difficulties in securing reliable raw materials, retailers grapple with supply shortages, and consumers ultimately bear the burden through higher prices and limited availability of essential goods.
Farmers, she noted, are increasingly operating under severe pressure, contending with shorter and unpredictable growing seasons, frequent mid-season dry spells and persistent threats such as the fall armyworm. These challenges not only reduce agricultural output but also destabilize industries that depend on farming, creating a chain reaction that reverberates across the entire economic ecosystem.
In response to these realities, Seed Co has taken proactive steps to build resilience through innovation. The company has invested significantly in the development of ultra-early maturing maize varieties designed for shortened growing seasons, alongside drought-tolerant and multi-stress hybrids capable of withstanding water scarcity, pests and diseases. These advancements are helping to reduce production risks, stabilize supply chains and contribute to national food security by lowering dependence on imports.
With Zimbabwe heavily reliant on maize production, Gurajena highlighted the urgent need to diversify agricultural systems as a cornerstone of resilience. Seed Co is promoting a broader crop mix that includes wheat, sorghum, millet, rapoko, sunflower, soybeans, sugar beans and horticulture, aligning with national agricultural policies that encourage climate-smart farming and more balanced agro-ecological systems. Initiatives such as Pfumvudza and the Agriculture and Food Systems and Rural Transformation Strategy are reinforcing this shift by supporting sustainable practices and ensuring crops are grown in regions best suited to their ecological requirements.
Beyond production, Gurajena called for a fundamental shift in how climate resilience is financed. She advocated for adaptive financing structures, including blended finance models that distribute risk between public and private sectors, insurance-backed lending and value chain financing systems that better integrate farmers into broader markets. Such approaches, she argued, are essential for unlocking investment and ensuring that resilience efforts are scalable and sustainable.
Infrastructure development also remains critical, with Zimbabwe’s Accelerated Irrigation Rehabilitation and Development Plan playing a key role in reducing dependence on rainfall, enhancing productivity and improving national planning capacity. At the same time, the integration of data and digital technologies is transforming modern agriculture, with real-time weather information, AI-driven crop monitoring and digital advisory services emerging as vital tools for navigating climate uncertainty.
In her closing remarks, Gurajena called for a coordinated response across all sectors of the economy. She urged financial institutions to design agricultural finance models that reflect climate realities, manufacturers to secure resilient supply chains, retailers to anticipate variability in supply, energy providers to support irrigation infrastructure and technology firms to build digital ecosystems that enable smarter, data-driven farming.
Zimbabwe, she concluded, holds a unique opportunity to position itself as a leader in climate-smart agriculture, but realizing this potential will require bold investment, innovation and collective action across sectors in the face of an increasingly unpredictable global climate.
