Report launch: Navigating the Food Crises – Insights from AgriFoSe2030 Projects

AgriFoSe2030 is a collaborative, multi-stakeholder programme that synthesises and translates existing science into policy and practice, develops capacity to achieve this to support sustainable agriculture and food security in Africa and Asia. It aims to support a transformation of smallholder farming systems in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) and in South and Southeast (SE) Asia, to enable them to tackle food insecurity and improve local livelihoods.

At this event, the AgriFoSe2030 programme will launch a perspective report showcasing how select projects are responding or adapting in times of crises and how their intervention is a sustainable solution to achieving resilient agri-food systems and ultimately, food security in their respective countries, more specifically, areas of the project.

Food insecurity remains a major challenge in many parts of the world despite economic growth and significant reductions in poverty rates in the past two decades. The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) estimates that around 2.3 billion people are food insecure, and 827 million people are affected by hunger and malnutrition. These people are often smallholder farmers and found overwhelmingly in low-income countries in South and Southeast Asia and sub-Saharan Africa (SSA).

Smallholder Agriculture in Times of Crises

Since 2020, smallholder farmers have faced a number of domestic and global shocks including droughts, severe rainfall, value chain disruptions, economic shocks, crop and animal diseases, conflicts and COVID-19 related restrictions that have negative impacts on food systems. The perspectives report gathers varied contextual experiences from AgriFoSe2030 projects in sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia and synthesises key lessons and approaches adopted by smallholder farmers in times of crises. The report contributes to making agri-food systems more productive, sustainable, and resilient to ensure nutritious, safe, and affordable diets for all.

Read the report AgriFoSe Perspectives Report- April 2023

Agenda

10:00 – 10:05  Welcome and introduction of participants - Ng'endo Machua, SEI

10:05 – 10:10  Introduction of the AgriFoSe2030 programme and the perspective report – Sofia Boqvist, Programme Director AgriFoSe2030

10:10 – 10:20  Opening remarks – Gunnar Kohlin, AgriFoSe2030 advisory board member

10:20 – 10:40  Panel Discussion: Perspectives on navigating the food crises in Africa

Panel speakers:

Frank Mugagga – Project leader, Uganda

Judith Nagasha – Project leader, Uganda

Jeninah Kirungi – Project leader, Uganda

David Jakinda – Project leader, Kenya

Samuel Omondi – Project leader, Kenya

Stephen Muchiri –  AgriFoSe advisory board member, Kenya

10:40 – 11:00   Panel Discussion: Perspectives on navigating the food crises in East and Southeast Asia

Panel Speakers:

Flordeliz Dacuyan – Project leader, Philippines, with input from Chou Phanith, Cambodia and Le Thi Hoa Sen, Vietnam

Rachmat Mulia – Project leader, Vietnam

Hoang Huong Giang – AgriFoSe2030 advisory board member, Vietnam

Irish Baguilat – AgriFoSe2030 advisory board member, Philippines

11:00 – 11:20  Q&A Session

11:20 – 11:30  Closing Remarks – Mats Åberg, Senior Policy Specialist, Sida

11:30 - 12:00 Fika/Lunch and networking

Moderators:

Ivar Virgin, Senior Research Fellow, Stockholm Environment Institute

Ng’endo Machua – Communications Officer, Stockholm Environment Institute

Register here to join the event virtually

Read the report AgriFoSe Perspectives Report- April 2023