The Southern African Development Community (SADC) Committee of Ministers responsible for Agriculture, Food Security, Fisheries and Aquaculture has issued an urgent call for aggressive regional co-operation to shield the bloc's vulnerable food systems from systemic failure. Meeting in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe, regional leaders approved a far-reaching, coordinated intervention framework targeting fertiliser regulations, climate-resilient crop development, and the establishment of a regional vaccine bank to contain devastating transboundary livestock outbreaks like Foot-and-Mouth Disease (FMD). To dissect the macroeconomic realities of this regional strategy, its financial viability, and the hurdles of policy harmonisation across member states, Thami Ngubeni spoke to Lecturer at The Malawi University of Science and Technology, Dr Willard Mbewe