Effective ways of implementing the food systems policies in the continent

On the second day of the Africa Food Sytems Forum, delegates once again united, calling for effective ways of implementing the food systems policies in the continent. Hon Richard Nyirishema, the Minister of Sports Rwanda, emphasizing on good nutritious food for the athletes, while Dr Agnes Kalibata, the President of AGRA, said that Legacy Programs are a great opportunities for countries to step up and work faster, and it is time for countries to work together, because they need each other, where trade is an essential means to how we source our food.

Here are the highlights of the day.

?Food and Nutrition Session

?At the Food and Nutrition session ?held at the sidelines of the AFS summit, policy makers and nutrition specialists came together to reflect on policies and programs as well as discuss how to bring various food system actors on board to generate impactful nutrition and health outcomes. ?

?Nutrition has long been overlooked in food system conversations. However, today’s session brought these conversations to the fore, highlighting the importance of the quality of food rather than just the quantity.?

?Speakers highlighted the enormous cost of malnutrition to Africa, not only in terms of healthcare but also in lost productivity. Micronutrient deficiencies remain a silent killer, particularly among children, while issues of obesity are increasingly affecting the labor workforce across food system value chains. Investing in nutrition is both a moral imperative and a sound economic strategy. To achieve these goals, nutrition must be a core component of sectoral policies and food system programs, making them more “nutrition-sensitive”.?

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Remarks by Hon. Richard Nyirishema, Rwanda Sports Minister, “Sports, nutrition, and health go hand-in-hand, offering people of different abilities and ages worldwide the chance for happier, healthier, and more productive lives. Various sports legends from the continent came from rural areas or modest urban backgrounds but have been performing for many years thanks to discipline, good health, and nutrition. Today, the Hon Minister of Sports in Rwanda, emphasized the need of eating a nutritious diet, and more so indigenous food, since it is important in body development for athletes.”        

Country Deal Room Launch: Zambia Legacy Program?

?It was an auspicious, moment for Zambia as the spotlight turned to its abundant resources and untapped potential in agriculture.?

?With 42 million hectares of arable land, only 1.5 million of which is currently cultivated, Zambia is poised to become a powerhouse in agricultural production. The country also boasts 40% of all water resources in the SADC region, further underscoring its capacity for expansion in this sector.

?Participants called for increased collaboration and trade between countries. As Dr. Kalibata emphasized, “We are at a time where trade is becoming extremely important to how we secure food in our countries. It’s not just about how we produce; it’s about how we trade.”

?“Zambia experienced one the most severe droughts in its recent history- and because of that they had to come up with a response plan to ensure Agriculture production was not disrupted and therefore came CATSP – focused on irrigated agriculture and mechanization, access to credit and finance,” – Dr Chizumba Shepande, Director in the Ministry of Agriculture

Women Agri-Prenuer of the Year Award (WAYA)

Affiong Williams, Founder and CEO of ReelFruit was the overall winner of the (WAYA) award, for outstanding contributions that exemplify how enterprise can transform lives and the agribusiness sector proving that sustainable impactful businesses can be built by women, receiving a cash prize of $40,000.

This year’s WAYA awards finalists were selected from a record-breaking 1,535 applications spanning 44 African nations, a significant increase from the 1,430 applicants and 42 participating nations in 2023. This highlights the growing influence and importance of women in Africa’s agribusiness sector. The finalists represented diverse countries, including Benin, Burkina Faso, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania, and Uganda.

https://agra.org/news/agra-announces-the-2024-women-agri-preneurs-of-the-year-award-winners-at-the-afs-forum/

Council of the Wise?Session

H.E. Former President, Goodluck Jonathan statement highlights a critical issue in Africa's food systems: the alarming lack of agro-biodiversity and its impact on nutrition and food security.?

The African continent faces an urgent need for visionaries and innovators to address challenges in food security and nutrition while also fostering job creation. To support the emerging leaders in the food systems sector, the Council of the Wise—comprising former African leaders—has committed to investing in education, mentoring, and entrepreneurship initiatives aimed at empowering the continent's youth to drive positive change.

?During the session of the Council of the Wise, an honorary member, ?Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, the former President of Nigeria, highlighted the importance of the older generation guiding young people in transforming the food systems sector, particularly through technology. He added that Africa is in the hands of young people and therefore, they have a critical role to play in shaping the continent's future.

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Ministerial Roundtable?

?Earlier, a ministerial roundtable chaired by H.E Dr Ibrahim Mayaki was held at #AFSForum24 to discuss solutions that advances food systems transformation, and taking stock of countries’ progress, and identifying actions to drive change in a digital and climate era.

?The session brought together government ministers and other high-level officials to share their experiences and perspectives on implementing policies and programs to improve food systems in their respective countries, while harnessing energy potential in the region. The discussions focused on the challenges and opportunities of food system transformation and how countries can work together to accelerate progress towards sustainable and equitable food systems.Parliamentary session.

?“Focusing on agrifood systems necessitates a break from siloed ways of working, and existing systems of accountability. This shift demands us to step out of our professional comfort zones and embrace new path lines. However I am proud to say that our ministers are tackling this challenges with novelty approaches and a steadfast commitment to new ways of working. They are actively sharing experiences and learning from one another,” said Dr Mayaki.

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Agriculture Parliamentarian in Africa

As we build a holistic view of food systems transformation that takes into consideration, gender issues that enhance resilience are important, this was the call from Parliamentarians. Parliamentary Network Forum championing food systems transformation at #AFSForum2024, spoke about policies that improves gender agenda. “The African Food Systems Forum continues to be a flagship event – where some of the most brilliant, committed and determined minds, gather from around the world, with a singular purpose – not just to end hunger and poverty once and for all on our continent, but to truly to transform the lives and futures of our people,” Hon Jeremiah Lissouba.

The African Food Systems Parliamentary Network (AFSPaN) emphasized the importance of partnerships, coalitions, and synergies in transforming Africa's agrifood systems. The creation of AFSPaN was motivated by the need to translate policy into impactful change on the ground.?

?The network is founded on the belief that Parliamentarians play a critical role in bridging the gap between policy and practice. As legislators and budget custodians, their role is vital in informing stakeholders, providing legal frameworks, ensuring alignment of public spending with investment plans, and strengthening accountability.?

Financing models and products on the continent

?This session was discussing the best practices and financing models for women involved in food systems value chains across the continent, with a focus on nutrition, and how these models can be scaled up to ensure the inclusion of and a more significant role for women in food systems.

?#Agriculture is key to our #YoungAfricaWorks strategy. With our partners, we've enabled 4.2M youth, nearly 50% young women, to pursue agrifood livelihoods. At the #AFSForum2024, Daniel Hailu emphasized the importance of co-designing interventions with the local context in mind.        

?While, Hedwig Siewertsen,? Head of Inclusive Finance, emphasized on "Women are extremely good at managing risk. The way women do business is very different from how men do business. While men tend to put all their eggs in one basket, women tend to diversify."

?“At Bayer, we are intentional and very gender sensitive. We are building an ecosystem of women, through the Better Life Farming Model. Bayer's Better Life Farming initiative aims to help empower smallholder farmers with solutions that improve harvests -- and lives. We started this programme with women and the uptake was amazing. And we are empowering them with holistic skills. This program supports women through soil health practice, regenerative agriculture and financing of input supply,” Mildred Nadah Pita, Head of Public Affairs at Bayer.

?Uganda AgriBusiness Dealroom Session

Uganda Minister of State for Animal Industry, MP Isingiro County North, Member of MUBS Council , Dr Bright Rwamirama, had a chance to woo the delegates on why invest in Uganda, the Pearl of Africa.

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Opportunities Highlighted:

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·?????? Bananas Farming

·?????? Cassava Farming

·?????? Coffee Value Chain

·?????? Fruits Farming

·?????? Industrial Parks

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Farmers Forum

The Farmers’ Forum was attended by farmers unions and farmers from ?Africa, Asia, and Latin America to exchange experiences and share best practices regarding participation in food systems policies, access to financing and markets, and capacity to deliver healthy foods produced.? The interactive featured progress being made in the quality, aggregation, and marketing.? Also featured was capacity building platforms for farmers, farmer representation, advocacy, financial solutions, communication.? Opening the session,? IFAD Vice-President endorsed their commitment to support farmers who are key anchors of food systems’.