The Zimbabwe Farmers' Union (ZFU) was born on August 19, 1991, following the merger of Zimbabwe National Farmers' Union of Zimbabwe and the National Farmers’ Association of Zimbabwe. ZNFU was formed in the mid-thirties as the then Bantu Farmers Union (BFU) later renamed the African Farmers Union in 1942 and Zimbabwe National Farmers Union in 1980. NFAZ was formed in 1981, emerging from the Master Farmers Association, which had existed in the then Victoria Province (Masvingo) since the early 1970s‟.
The ZFU is a registered corporate body under the Farmer Licensing and Levy Act (Chapter 18:10). The merger between the ZNFU and NFAZ has had the effect of uniting erstwhile communal farmers who relied on agricultural activities for subsistence, and the smallholder farmers who had secured tenure on relatively but more productive land to engage in agriculture for marketing and income generating activities. The merger has made ZFU the single national representation of more than 90% of the farmers in the country. Secondly, it imparted the thrust of commercial agriculture into the mainstay of farming activities.
Farmer members own ZFU. Membership is conferred by subscription upon payment of fees as prescribed and is renewed annually. Membership confers voting right, the right to be elected, and to participate in union business. While ZFU is a non-profit organization, and therefore not required to submit annual audited financial accounts to the Company Register, the Union has the right to form profit-making organizations, which in turn would comply with the statutory requirements.