The Harare Institute of Technology (HIT) this week hosts its inaugural Food Innovation Conference 2026 through its Food Processing Technology Department.
The conference is running under the theme “Sustainable Food Innovative Approaches for the Future.”
This theme, according to the Food Processing Technology Department, responds to urgent regional and global challenges including climate change, population growth, food insecurity and resource depletion by showcasing science-driven, scalable solutions across food production, processing, distribution and consumption.
“(It) calls upon us to rethink how we produce, process, distribute, and consume food in a world that is changing faster than ever before.
“The global food system is at a critical crossroads. The impacts of climate change are no longer distant projections—they are our lived reality.
“Across Zimbabwe and the broader Southern Africa region, we are witnessing increasingly erratic rainfall patterns, more frequent droughts, shifting growing seasons, and rising temperatures,” Food Processing Technology Department chairperson Dr Melody Ndemera said as she delivered the welcome remarks.
She noted how these changes are disrupting agricultural productivity, threatening biodiversity, and placing immense strain on water and soil resources.
“For many of our communities—particularly smallholder farmers—these challenges are deeply personal. Livelihoods are at risk, household food security is under pressure, and vulnerability continues to grow.
“Closely linked to this is the pressing issue of food and nutrition security. While progress has been made in some areas, too many people still lack reliable access to safe, nutritious, and affordable food,” Ndemera said.
Malnutrition in all its forms—undernutrition, overnutrition, micronutrient deficiencies, and even diet-related non-communicable diseases—remains a significant challenge.
“At the same time, our population continues to grow, urbanise, and evolve in its dietary needs and preferences.
“This places additional pressure on food systems that must now do more with less—less water, less arable land, and in many cases, under increasingly unpredictable conditions,” Dr Ndemera said.
“As we confront these realities, the question before us is clear: How do we build food systems that can withstand these shocks while continuing to nourish our populations?”
