Re-wiring how leaders connect to transform Africa’s food systems

by Alex Rees/

Re-wiring how leaders connect to transform Africa’s food systems

Alex Rees

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We were at the Africa Food Systems Forum (AFSF) in Kigali which presented us with lots to ponder. Perhaps the most important being that food systems leadership critically needs investment for food systems transformation.

H.E. Hailemariam Desalegn, Chair of the Africa Food Systems Forum Partners, and Ethiopia’s ex-Prime Minister, opened Africa’s leading Summit in Kigali on food systems in early September 2024. He set the scene for Africa’s food systems transformation.

Three messages from Hailemariam and one from Lawrence Haddad (the fourth), GAIN’s Executive Director, resonated with me:

  • “Food systems transformation is urgent!”
  • “We must tap youth creativity to bring it about”
  • “If governed differently food systems could change and be a lead for other sectors”
  • “Africa has a policy implementation capacity gap”

Africa is currently off-track having failed to achieve the Malabo Goals for 2025 that were set in 2014. At the Summit panellists described myriad challenges from poor resilience of food systems due to climate change; to lack of access to finance and infrastructure including energy, inputs and mechanisation; to low political attention and losing ground on technology.

Africa’s growing food importation bill, including receiving grain from Ukraine, a nation in significant conflict, served as a totem of the challenges. The opportunity is for African soils and ingenuity to feed itself and other regions in the decades ahead if structural challenges are put right.

While positive things were said at the Summit, even a few solutions, and it was a fantastic networking opportunity, I was one of many I spoke to who attended and left with little genuine optimism that the ‘change’ many hope for is in the air. Answering three questions might help us:

  • Where can we source the energy for change?
  • What do we mean by food systems leaders?
  • Why is cultivating food systems leadership considered only ‘nice to have’?
Alex with the African Food Fellowship Team
Alex with the African Food Fellowship Team

Sourcing energy for change

Energy for change can come in two forms: the upcoming Kampala Declaration in January 2025 which has a new Africa-wide vision for the period 2026-2035 bringing a food systems approach; and leveraging new generations of diverse younger change makers working across food systems particularly those in their 20s, 30s, and 40s who wish to positively challenge the status quo with action.

The Kampala Declaration is important as it frames continental ambition in political terms. It provides a locus for African institutions and international actors.

The main shift for the decade ahead is a new focus on a broader agri-food systems approach as agriculture, nutrition and economic development are understood and applied together:

“Policies must be integrated to address trade-offs and interlinkages between sustainable practices, value chain complexity, and nutrition, among other food system factors. The Kampala Declaration also seeks to strengthen institutional capacity, foster transparency, accountability and inclusive stakeholder participation in the governance of agri-food systems.”

None of this is feasible without deeper and broader investment in people, i.e. emerging generations of food systems leaders who can work with complexity and tread a new collaborative path forward.

The latter is where sustained energy for change and action can be unleashed. Financial resources invested in younger resourceful people is a no-brainer.

The world needs change agents, people who make change happen, like never before. And leadership is the much-needed currency to drive that change. Business unusual means equipping, connecting and supporting large numbers of diverse leaders to lead change in sectors across complex food systems.

Partnerships do not exist yet to do this at scale. There are promising initiatives (such as African Union’s Agriculture Mission; the African Food Fellowship and AWARD and up to 15 others) but they are not yet organised for collaboration.

Efforts are afoot to find new means to collaborate and organise collaboration to ensure policy profile and investments are commensurate with the opportunity.

Alex Rees with Brenda Mareri, Food Systems Senior Manager and Kenya Lead at the African Food Fellowship
Alex Rees with Brenda Mareri, Food Systems Senior Manager and Kenya Lead at the AFF

What is food systems leadership?

Thoughtful individuals are shaping a new sense of what food systems leadership is that is different from hierarchical approaches that have often shaped decisions in and between institutions. For example here on Medium by Debisi Araba and Brenda Mareri here: What is food systems leadership?

Efforts to enhance food systems leadership run the risk of being interpreted differently and being ‘washed’ to mean anything to anyone. Working systemically and with good knowledge of how food systems operate is key.

A successful food systems leader will draw from key tenets of systems leadership. They bring their leadership to share a path with others to knit together different food system interests.

For instance, they will acknowledge the complexity that exists and reach out to draw from multiple perspectives. They will focus efforts on improving the enabling conditions or root causes that give rise to today’s problems.

They will take decisions and experiment with actions and intentionally learn as they go, typically making decisions with insufficient information (which is often uncomfortable). They will be humble and collaborative leaders intent on sharing or giving the limelight to others.

They will seek a shared big change in food systems and bring attention to the collaboration needed for change, while cracking on with everyday decisions.

Food systems leadership can and should be learned. But how?

Cultivating food systems leadership at scale

Food systems leaders will drive positive change when they seek common ground with others.

How can we overcome the limitations of current institutions, organisations and businesses that are typically hierarchical and self-interested? And where key tenets of food systems leadership are not incentivised, how can we cultivate genuine food systems leaders? And at scale?

Imagine being part of a dynamic emerging leadership network, focused on transforming Africa’s food systems. A network that connects you in new ways to others you value for the next 10 or 20 years, helping you make informed decisions as you navigate the complexity of food systems, including as you move from one job to another.

This community not only supports your professional learning and growth, but also brings a sense of joy and purpose to your work in its connectivity. A professional association supporting you to be part of a growing army of food systems leaders in your country.

This is what the African Food Fellowship is here to be. Yet the Fellowship is one cog and the continental challenge demands a continental scale of response.

The Fellowship aims to collaborate with others to build an architecture cultivating new generations of food systems leaders. The Fellowship is partnering with the African Leadership University, and it is exploring partnerships, e.g. with AGRA’s CALA and AWARD, to bring food systems leadership development to scale.

I estimate that perhaps 3-6m USD annually is invested intentionally in food systems leadership development. This is tiny in the scheme of the tens of billions of dollars of decisions made by people in food systems each year.

What is the return on investment of tens of thousands of food systems leaders making better decisions that can reshape the drivers for food systems transformation month by month, year by year? It is high.

AGRA’s President concluded the AFSF Summit in Kigali calling for leadership in food systems to be prioritised in efforts to transform food systems. But transforming food systems in Africa will take time. It means rewiring how food systems leaders connect and how they act.

Organisations, institutions, and leaders from all places join us in this shared endeavour. Please reach out to me or anybody connected associated with the African Food Fellowship if you believe you can contribute to this new and exciting, and shared pathway ahead.

The opportunity is to transform food systems further and faster by going together (and not alone).

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What is food systems leadership – and can it drive transformation?

by Stella Odhiambo/

What is food systems leadership – and can it drive transformation?

Brenda Mareri

Brenda Mareri

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In the complex and ever-changing world of food systems, traditional approaches often fall short of addressing the root causes of challenges like malnutrition, hunger, food insecurity, climate change and environmental degradation. This is where the concept of Food Systems Leadership becomes crucial.

Food systems leadership is a term that’s easy to understand in theory or in high-level strategy meetings. But what does it actually mean in practice? When we talk about transforming the way we produce, distribute, and consume food, what does a food systems leader do?

We look at some of the drivers and components of this approach to leadership.

Drivers of Systems Leadership

Systems Mindset: Seeing the bigger picture

Food systems leadership begins with adopting a systems mindset, which means recognising the food system as a complex web of interconnected parts, from production and distribution to consumption and waste management. It’s about actively identifying how various elements like policy, agriculture, economics, and community health interact and impact one another.

For instance, understanding how local farming practices influence nutrition in schools can lead to initiatives that support both farmers and children’s health. It’s about seeing the whole picture so that every action you take addresses the root causes of issues, not just the symptoms.

A great example is the Home Grown School Feeding (HGSF) model which constitutes a school feeding approach that provides safe, diverse and nutritious food, sourced locally from smallholders employing sustainable farming practices, to children in schools. This model is being piloted across many countries in Africa and addresses issues of nutrition, market access, social inclusion and economic development.

By viewing the system as a whole, leaders can better understand the root causes of issues and develop solutions that address the broader picture rather than just the symptoms.

Collective Action: Mobilising real people for real results

At the heart of food systems leadership is the ability to mobilise collective action. This means bringing together farmers, policymakers, business leaders, and community organisations to work towards common goals.

An example could be forming coalitions that lobby for better food safety regulations or creating community-supported agriculture (CSA) programs that directly connect consumers with local farmers. It’s about harnessing the power of many to drive change that no single entity could achieve on its own.

Enabling Conditions: Laying the groundwork for success

Creating the enabling conditions that allow sustainable solutions to take root is key. This goes beyond addressing immediate problems; it’s about shaping the policies, investments, and infrastructure that support long-term change.

For example, advocating for government subsidies that encourage sustainable farming practices or securing investment for building local food processing facilities.

A great example is the Tax Incentives the Nigerian Government introduced in 2022 to scale the purchase and use of solar renewable energy products, this in turn is a positive shift to create an environment to allow sustainable transition into the Green Energy economy.

These are the actions that create the foundation upon which a resilient food system can be built.

Components of Systems Leadership

At Wasafiri, our Systemcraft approach offers a comprehensive framework for this transformation, centred on five core components that are essential for driving systemic change in food systems.

Vision setting: Defining clear, achievable goals (Set the direction)

A shared vision among stakeholders is essential. Clear, achievable outcomes that everyone can work towards will guide the creation of specific initiatives. It’s about setting a direction that everyone can follow, with clear milestones to track progress.

The Malabo Declaration of 2014 was a pivotal Vision Setting strategy that was adopted by the AU Assembly Heads of State and Government in 2014 and still provides the direction for Africa’s agricultural transformation for the period 2015 – 2025.

Windows of opportunity: Meeting you where it matters most (Make it matter)

A systems leader will leverage windows of opportunity that matter the most to stakeholders in the system.

An opportunity can arise for instance, when there’s a shift in public opinion, a new policy proposal, or a crisis that brings food issues to the forefront. A systems leader will spot the opportunity and be ready to act.

An example of this is how the French Revolution of 1789, was sparked by an unexpected window of opportunity, when King Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette living in extreme extravagance and nobility increased grain taxes that led to bread being too expensive. This sparked the revolution that the people exploited.

Ecosystem building: Creating networks that work (Organise for collaboration)

Building the networks and ecosystems that support ongoing collaboration and innovation will create an ecosystem for change. It’s about organising the right people, tools, and information to ensure that the food system functions smoothly and efficiently.

These networks can serve the sole purpose of creating a flow of information amongst stakeholders or more action-oriented networks striving for change at a systems level.

For example, setting up regular meetings between local farmers, policymakers, Market Owners or Associations and Buyers of produce, to discuss supply chain challenges or creating a digital platform where stakeholders can share resources and ideas.

Building incentive models: Aligning interests for change (Change the incentives)

For real, lasting change to happen, stakeholders need the right incentives. This could mean working with local governments to introduce tax breaks for businesses that reduce their food waste or creating financial incentives for farmers to adopt regenerative practices.

These incentive models help align the interests of different stakeholders, making it easier to achieve widespread buy-in and participation.

By addressing what motivates people—whether it’s financial gain, community recognition, or environmental stewardship—you can drive significant changes in behaviour.

Addressing Knowledge Asymmetry: Sharing information where it’s needed (Harness collective intelligence)

Finally, food systems leadership is about making sure that all stakeholders have access to the knowledge and information they need to make informed decisions.

This could mean creating educational programs for farmers on sustainable practices, setting up data-sharing platforms that track food supply chain efficiency, or organising workshops that teach consumers about the benefits of buying local.

Ensuring that knowledge flows freely and effectively among everyone involved could bridge gaps that can otherwise hinder progress.

Conclusion

Food systems leadership is not an abstract concept; it’s a hands-on, practical approach to transforming our food systems for the better. It moves beyond isolated interventions, focusing instead on the underlying conditions and collective actions needed to create lasting change – and in that sense, it is applicable to systems leadership when tackling any complex social issue.

By focusing on these practical aspects, we can drive the real, measurable change needed to build a more sustainable, equitable, and resilient food system for all.

Learn more

Are you interested in understanding how you can use Systemcraft to work out a complex problem you’re working on? Check out our Systemcraft Essentials course.

Brenda Mareri is a Senior Manager for Food at Wasfiri Consulting. Connect with her on LinkedIn.

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African Food Fellowship hosts 2nd annual Kenya festival

by Stella Odhiambo/

African Food Fellowship hosts 2nd annual Kenya festival

Stella Odhiambo

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The African Food Fellowship held the second edition of the annual Kenya Transform Food Festival on 3 November 2023.

Director Joost Guijt gives the keynote address during the festival

The festival brought together food systems innovators, entrepreneurs, practitioners, and decision-makers working across government, private sector, civil society, and community groups.  It explored and raised the profile of existing and emerging issues in Kenya’s food systems, focusing on the impact areas of agrifinance, horticulture, and aquaculture.

Director Joost Guijt urged guests to keep hope alive in the face of big challenges such as climate change, malnutrition, and poverty facing the food and agriculture sector today.

Dean Brenda Mareri welcomes guests to the festival

Kenya Dean and Implementation Lead Brenda Mareri said the festival provides a great platform for different people to connect, and hopefully collaborate.

“What makes the Transform Food festival special is the diversity and caliber of food systems practitioners who spend the day with us, sharing their work and ideas. We hope that the festival can be a launching pad for exciting innovations and projects designed for impactful action on the ground,” she said.

Fellow Geoffrey Rono with the African Food Fellowship deputy director Alex Rees
Fellow Mary Maina facilitates a discussion about how to apply foresight methodologies in food systems

Guests participated in discussions about collaborative leadership, and explored tools such as the foresight methodology that could help to future-proof their work.

Gregory Kimani (centre) winner of the Kenya Food Systems Leadership Award 2023 with Director Joost Guijt and Dean Brenda Mareri

The highlight of the festival was the annual Kenya Food Systems Leadership Award which is given to a Fellow who has demonstrated exceptional leadership and impact in their work.

This year’s award winner, Fellow Gregory Kimani, is the founder of City Shamba, an urban farming initiative teaching people in cities how to grow their own food. He has set up a model farm at Mama Lucy Kibaki Hospital in Nairobi where more than 1800 people so far received knowledge and skills on how to grow vegetables using very little land and water and have set up their own kitchen gardens. Gregory also supplies the hospital with vegetables to supplement its patients’ nutrition needs.

First runners-up Mutuma Muriuki receives his certificate

Mutuma Muriuki was named the first runner-up. His project focuses on utilising biochar biofertilizer from organic waste to rehabilitate, recycle, and enhance soil quality. He has seen farmers’ yields increase by 50% after using biochar.

Second runner-up Dorah Momanyi, the founder of iPoP Africa, owns an agri-business that reclaims the sovereignty of indigenous grains such as pearl millet, sorghum, and brown rice by transforming them into modern snacks and breakfast cereals. 

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Navigating the water-energy-food nexus

by Stella Odhiambo/

Navigating the water-energy-food nexus

Water, energy, and food are interconnected systems - we need to manage them in this way

Claudia Piacenza

CLAUDIA PIACENZA & STELLA ODHIAMBO

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While doing my weekly grocery shopping, my thoughts began to drift once I got to the produce aisle. As I reached for a plump avocado (my favourite), I thought: do I truly understand the journey this fruit has taken to get to my local supermarket? Was it sustainably grown? How much water was required to nurture its growth? And what about the energy consumed during its transportation? And the people involved in the production?

In that moment, I was grappling with a much larger issue than simply selecting a piece of fruit. I was confronting a web of interconnected systems known as the water-energy-food nexus.

According to the UN and others, water, food, and energy form a relationship at the heart of sustainable development.

Together they are tied to environmental sustainability, economic growth, and human health and decisions made in one realm can have profound effects on the others. Yet they are often managed in disconnected ways. This leads to policies and practices that do not tackle the complexity of the issue, but advance one system at the cost of others.

Scarcity as an opportunity

In a world where resources are limited and population pressures increase, scarcity is the new normal. This speeds up the move toward a new way of doing things, where one sector can’t only benefit a small, specific group of people anymore. The food sector cannot just feed people; it needs to nourish them, support their health, and delivering eco-system services too. 

Similarly, the energy sector must also contribute to social and economic inclusion, and not just support the industrial growth of a country. The inescapable reality of having to do more with less can represent an opportunity to break silos and force conversations across sectors and systems.

It is complex, but change is attainable

To make things even more complex, here are more boxes to check; our food must come from regenerative and circular practices, energy should be renewable, and water managed sustainably. To withstand current and future pressures, governments must increasingly balance the needs of people, nature, and the economy.

Despite the obvious benefits of strengthening the nexus between water, food, and energy, the multidisciplinary and collaborative approaches required often feel overwhelming. Cross-sectoral collaboration is essential if we are to achieve a just transition in our food systems.

Organising for collaboration

When governments, businesses, academia, communities, and individuals come together and share knowledge, resources, and best practice, sustainable policies ensue.

An excellent example is the Water and Sanitation for the Urban Poor (WSUP) program in Kenya. WSUP collaborates with local governments, utilities, and civil society organisations to enhance water and sanitation services in low-income urban areas. Through these partnerships, WSUP tailors solutions to each community’s unique challenges. 

The Nairobi City County Food System Strategy on the other hand, plays a pivotal role as a convener. By bringing together civil society, private sector entities, and various government agencies, this initiative addresses the pressing challenges of sustainably feeding a rapidly growing urban population.

Incentives can shift behaviour

Ever wondered why organisations have teams that strongly resemble the funding lines of their donors? And why doesn’t cross-sectoral collaboration happen more often? Understanding how incentives shape behaviour is the first step. Daring to change them is where the magic happens (and where we need to accept the resistance that will come with that).

Placing smallholders at the heart of systems

Let’s look at the work of Sylvie Nirere, a fellow at the African Food Fellowship. As Country Director of Stichting IDH in Rwanda, she works directly with farmers who produce perishable products. By engaging with stakeholders, advocating for policy reforms, and fostering systemic change, Sylvie’s work contributes to sustainable practices, resource efficiency, resilience, and improved livelihoods. 

Her efforts embody the systemic importance of transforming the food system by considering the interdependencies of water, energy, and food by bringing it down to the needs of a single farmer who needs a healthy yield to remain competitive and take better care of her family. This feeds into a wider network in an environmentally responsible way.

Learning as we go

By understanding the nexus and its implications, we make informed choices and inspire a collective shift towards more sustainable lifestyles. 

The Water Wise Program in South Africa, for instance,  promotes water conservation practices among residents in response to Cape Town’s water scarcity challenges.

Balance and Just Transition

Just Transition refers to the set of principles aimed at ensuring a fair and equitable shift towards a more sustainable and low-carbon economy.

African countries, despite contributing less to global greenhouse gas emissions, are taking proactive steps to implement Just Transition projects and policies.

  • The Renewable Energy Performance Platform (REPP) in Kenya provides financial and technical assistance to small and medium-sized renewable energy projects in sub-Saharan Africa. It promotes sustainable energy development that is balanced across the food-energy-water nexus, by supporting projects that integrate renewable energy into local agricultural and water management systems, while also creating jobs and reducing poverty.
  • Another example is the Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Program in South Africa (REIPPPP) , a government initiative to accelerate the development of renewable energy projects in the country.

In conclusion, the water-energy-food nexus calls for initiatives that acknowledge their interconnectedness. Whether you are a donor, investor, NGO, or civil servant, it’s crucial to focus on designing projects that create multiple benefits at this crossroads. Each decision to implement sustainable practices will be a step towards the larger goal of creating a more resilient and balanced water, energy, and food system.

If you enjoyed this, here are a few longer reads and opinions for you:

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The forgotten heroes of food: Transforming school meals

by Stella Odhiambo/

The forgotten heroes of food: Transforming school meals

Stella Odhiambo

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Globally our food systems need to be more sustainable, equitable, and nutritious. Chefs in Schools is a UK charity working to transform both the quality and culture of food.

I recently connected with Chef in Schools, Chief Executive Naomi Duncan, a Forward Institute fellow whose passion and dedication have been instrumental in transforming the school food landscape in the UK.

As Naomi shared the story of their inspiration, challenges, and aspirations, it became evident that the food challenges encountered in the UK, while distinct, reflect broader issues ingrained in societies worldwide.

Redefining school food culture

In the bustling heart of London, amidst the clinking of pans and the sizzle of fresh ingredients, a culinary revolution is quietly simmering. Chefs in Schools (founded in 2018 by Henry Dimbleby, Louise Nichols, and Nicole Pisani) have set out to transform the quality of school food and help children learn about what to eat, how to cook it and where food comes from. And they are doing this in some of the most food insecure communities in the country.

For CEO Naomi this ambition is not merely about serving nutritious meals or providing eduction; its is about instilling a passion for food and empowering children to explore a world of flavours, textures and cultures. 

Chefs in School recognise that such a transformation is not about quick wins and easy fixes. Its going to require system level change.  They focus their efforts on three areas: 

  1. Raise the bar: They drive best practices in school food by teaching kitchen teams to create exciting and tasty dishes from scratch with fresh produce.
  2. Create an enabling space for others to do better: They use their credibility to inform advocacy efforts, campaigns, and policy makers.
  3. Inspire others to follow their lead: They prove that working in a school kitchen can be recognised, valued, and celebrated as a great career and a crucial pillar to nourishing children and teaching them about food.
Naomi Duncan, Chief Executive, Chefs in Schools

Challenges within the wider UK food system

Chefs in Schools works in predominantly low income urban communities. The food-scapes of such communities often include ‘food deserts’ (areas where it is simply impossible to access fresh and affordable produce), a high prevalence of ultra processed foods and low incomes. Indeed for some children the meal they receive at school will be their main source of nutritious food.

Consequently, there is a growing disconnection between individuals and the raw, wholesome ingredients that make up a nutritious diet. Schools therefore became a crucial battleground for Naomi and team to reintroduce children to the joys and variety of fresh foods while simultaneously teaching them essential cooking skills.

Similarities with Kenya

At Wasafiri much of our thinking and work revolves around the complex food systems in East Africa and so I was able to see how Naomi’s reflections echo some of the struggles faced in Kenya. Food poverty and insecurity ring true.

Both the UK and Kenya face challenges with child malnutrition. In the UK, around one in five children is overweight or obese. In Kenya, one in three children is stunted due to chronic malnutrition.

Naomi pointed out the disparities in food accessibility. The UK boasts a vibrant international food scene, but within this abundance, significant sections of the population struggle to access basic nutrition. Meanwhile Kenya grapples with challenges in food production, distribution, and waste.

“Although the magnitude may differ, food waste in Kenya, just like in the UK, is juxtaposed with others not being able to feed themselves or their families,” says Naomi.

The role of systems leadership in addressing food-related issues

Systems leadership plays a pivotal role in addressing the challenges ingrained in UK’s food system. As a fellow of the Forward Institute, Naomi believes that purpose-driven leadership is indispensable. While government initiatives are crucial, a ground-up revolution is equally vital.

“We are all actors within this system and can in our own way get involved to tackle some of these challenges. But ultimately it is those in power – the heads of major industry, as well as politicians, banks and so on – who will drive the biggest change,” says Naomi.

The key is to create an enabling space for others to engage meaningfully. The school kitchen teams are often overlooked heroes in education, embody leadership daily by providing nourishing meals on tight budgets, demonstrating resilience and innovation in a resource constrained environment.

What’s next for Chefs in Schools?

One of Naomi’s most rewarding experiences is seeing a child, previously hesitant about meals, try a new ingredient and return for seconds. Additionally, the impact extends beyond school walls; children become ambassadors of healthy eating, encouraging their families to adopt better dietary habits. Parents, initially hesitant, are convinced by their children’s enthusiasm and willingness to explore new foods. The organisation’s ethos has even been linked to improved engagement, behaviour, and learning in schools.

Children learning to cook with dough

And what legacy do they want to leave? A fundamental shift in how societies perceive, provide, and celebrate food. Naomi believes that when chefs are trained and empowered to create menus and dishes, they are much better equipped to adapt and overcome obstacles. When producers and farmers see the impact their ingredients have in schools, they work to ensure quality remains high.

“We will continue to grow and expand to create training and a network for school chefs and food educators that enables and inspires them to feed the future well. Our vision is that every child is accessing great school food and food education. We’ll retire when that is the case!” says Naomi.

Naomi Duncan is a fellow of The Forward Institute, a non-profit institute focused on organisation and systems change. 

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Rethinking our leadership approach to tackle complex food systems issues

by Stella Odhiambo/

Rethinking our leadership approach to tackle complex food systems issues

Brenda Mareri

Brenda Mareri

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In 2017, millions of farmers in East Africa faced a devastating drought and a new threat; the fall armyworm. The pest devastated maize and wheat producing regions in South and Central Rift Valley regions of Kenya.

The pest spread rapidly, it was unresponsive to traditional pesticides and worst of all, had devastating effects on farmers’ crops. Extension service providers were deployed, intervention strategies by governments were formulated but still, the problem prevailed.

To begin addressing the challenges we face in our food systems we must first acknowledge that we are tackling a complex problem. Complex problems have no single owner, no single root cause, they are dynamic, constantly adapting, and the system is in fact working for some people, somewhere, some of the time.

Transformational change is required to tackle the challenges we face in addressing the complexities our food systems. This entails various shifts across multiple components, leading to changes in the system.

Transformational change requires systems thinking and systems leadership. Systems leadership and thinking will allow our food systems leaders to acknowledge the interconnectivity and the relationships between different actors and the need for collective action.

Take for example the paradox of Climate and Nutrition and the unintended consequences on women. Empowering women to employ climate smart practices at farm level would have a positive effect on the environment and contribute to climate change mitigation.

The unintended consequence would subsequently be the increase in women’s labour and workload needed to adopt climate smart practices which takes away from their child caring capacities affecting their children’s nutrition. To address such a paradox, a systems thinking approach is required.

There is a great need for leaders in the food systems space to think and act systemically. Food systems leaders can apply a systemic approach to solving problems by applying Systemcraft. This framework applies five dimensions for action which work on underlying system conditions.

Applying the five dimensions of Systemcraft

  1. The first is to Organise for Collaboration since no single person or institution can make change alone. A great example of this is the African Food Fellowship which is a community and a network of practitioners, policymakers, researchers, and influencers across the food system in Kenya and Rwanda working jointly across different capacities such as aquaculture, sustainable land use, and agri-finance to transform food systems.
  2. Second is to Set the Direction. Transforming food systems needs big ambitions to mobilise resources. An example of this is Rwanda’s ‘First 1,000 Days’ health campaign of 2017 which aimed to eradicate child malnutrition. The ambition was big enough to rally support towards developing strategies to attain the end goal.
  3. Third is to Make it Matter. Change can be hard and so the issue must matter to those that need to do the changing. Due to the great significance of livestock (both socially and economically) to several communities in Africa, we have seen governments actively invest in developing the Livestock Development Strategy for Africa to increase the sustainability and resilience of the sector.
  4. Number four is to Change the Incentives. As individuals, we all make decisions that make sense to us – whether it is what food to eat or what job we do. For example, in Malawi, the 2006 Farmer Input Subsidy Program aimed to incentivise resource-poor smallholder farmers to reinvest in maize production by accessing improved agricultural farm inputs against a background of bad weather causing poor yields. This attracted farmers back into maize production.
  5. Lastly is to Harness Collective Intelligence. A system best serves those with the most information. Asymmetries of power in how information flows create a broken system. The 2021, Lead Mothers program in Uganda is a great example of this. Due to the lack of nutrition information on maternal health, a group of women called lead mothers were trained on good agronomic practices, and nutritional benefits of consuming biofortified crops and they became community-based information hubs which in turn holistically increased the community’s understanding of the importance of nutrition.

These dimensions of action can be applied in any order by any food system leader. When it comes to systems, changing what is right, and what is possible, are not the same thing.

It is not enough to simply understand the problems we are facing in our food systems and have some great ideas to shift them. We also must understand the wider context in which we are trying to create change and prompt our leaders to think and act systematically.

This was first presented by Brenda Mareri at TedX AGRF 2023, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.

More on systems-leadership and systems approaches

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The African Food Fellowship celebrates another graduation

by Stella Odhiambo/

The African Food Fellowship celebrates another graduation

Stella Odhiambo & Jaqueline Kubania

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There were candid reflections of their ten-month journey, heart-felt speeches, and of course, lots and lots of dancing!

Second Kenya cohort joins the Kenya Food Fellowship

The African Food Fellowship is growing! It graduated its second cohort of Kenya Fellows on 22 Sept 2023.

27 Fellows’ efforts were celebrated amid lots of pomp and colour and they happily received their certificates for successfully completing the prestigious Food Systems Leadership Programme, which equips them with the skills, knowledge, and connections needed to initiate and deliver effective food systems actions.

Their leadership journey with the Fellowship does not end there. They continue their food systems transformation work through the Kenya Food Fellowship, a self-organising space for connecting with their fellow food system actors, learning with and from one another, taking action towards changing what’s not working within food systems, and where a feeling of belonging to a group of passionate, like-minded individuals is harnessed.

“We are proud to graduate this cohort of Fellows, who are among the most exciting food systems leaders in Kenya today. They bring a wealth of knowledge and experience to the food system as innovators, entrepreneurs, food producers, researchers, financiers, and policymakers. We have the utmost confidence in their capacity as change-makers,” said Kenya Dean and Implementation Lead, Brenda Mareri.

"Let’s be bold and identify what the African agenda is"

The Fellows showcased their food systems actions which are designed to offer real-world solutions to the greatest challenges facing Kenya’s horticulture, aquaculture, and agri-finance sectors today. Some of these include research on unconventional sources of food (including insects and indigenous crops), financing opportunities for smallholder farmers, and initiatives to deliver safer food to consumers.

The keynote speaker was Rikki Agudah, the Board Chairman at the Society of Crop Agribusiness Advisors of Kenya. He lauded the Fellowship for bringing different food systems leaders together and providing a space where they can collaborate.

He called on Fellows to focus on a common goal and lend their strengths to solving common issues.

“Let’s be bold and identify what the African agenda is. What exactly works for us as a continent? We might shine as individuals but if we want to achieve impact, we must work together. This is the only way we can achieve change,” he said.

As members of the Kenya Food Fellowship, the graduates will continue to enjoy learning opportunities and platforms where they can contribute to Kenya’s food systems agenda.

The African Food Fellowship has recently onboarded the third cohort of Fellows in both Kenya and Rwanda who started their leadership journey in September 2023.

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AGRF 2023: Time for Food System Leadership

by Kate Simpson/

AGRF 2023: Time for Food System Leadership

Brenda Mareri
Claudia Piacenza

Brenda Mareri &
Claudia Piacenza

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A leadership gap is limiting the transformation of Africa’s food system

We (Team Wasafiri’s Claudia & Brenda) have just returned from the Africa Food Systems Forum (AGRF) 2023 in Dar es Salaam Tanzania, where we had an incredible week connecting with food system actors on the continent.

It was exciting to see that it is now mainstream to talk about food as a system; that we collectively have moved beyond agriculture production as the only issue that matters.

Taking a system view isn’t just a matter of being more in vogue or with the zeitgeist, but has a real-world practical impact on the way we understand the complexities of food. It is through a systems view that we can understand, for example, the impact of empowering women (who are the majority of the worlds’ farmers) to employ climate are the real word complexities of food systems and just focusing on one dimension – such as increased production, increased incomes, or climate adaptation may make action feel reassuringly achievable but is a mirage in terms of real transformation.

Brenda & Claudia at AGRF 2023
Wasafiri's Brenda Mareri and Claudia Piacenza at AGRF 2023

We were also pleasantly surprised to see that soil health is no longer a topic only for geeky soil scientists in a corner, but the subject of several conversations that focus on the “how” rather than the “why”.

Smallholder farmers were acknowledged, mentioned, and celebrated as the backbone of the industry but not yet seen and served as the main clients of that industry. How do we move from smallholders as ‘beneficiaries’ of well-meaning interventions designed to ameliorate the impacts of an industrial food system that is built to serve large scale producers – and into the place where smallerholders hold more of the power within food systems?

Chefs from all over the world united their creative minds and sapient hands to elevate “poor” ingredients like beans to demonstrate that healthy diets do not have to be affordable only for middle-class, urban consumers.

And yet despite this great breadth of knowledge, creativity, inspiration and expertise, we are still dealing with incredibly stubborn problems as the Africa Agriculture Status Report reminds us. Why is that?

A big part of the answer lies in the need for a different kind of leadership. Systemic leadership was lacking at the AGRF. We saw a large showcase of good intentions but very little sense-making and collaboration at a level that can truly advance systemic change. Food System transformation requires a deep appreciation of the interconnections not just between the people that produce, process, transport, sell and consume food but also the relationship to the natural world that is the genesis of it all. No one leader, institution, company, or government, however well-intentioned and well-resourced is going to be able to transform a food system alone. It just can’t be done. Collective action is the only form of action that is going to work – and this needs network-driven forms of leadership where collaboration is not an optional activity but the default mode.

Finally, we have a serious problem with the representational status of African rulers who are often over 60, while the average African is 20 years old. And we still do not have enough women leaders with access to the power they need and deserve to nurture collective change at scale. We need to talk about it and support a new generation of African leaders for Food Systems.

The African Food Fellowship is investing in African Food System leaders in Kenya and Rwanda. We are starting to see how leaders can transform food systems in their countries towards more equitable, sustainable, and healthy outcome. Reach out if you want to know more!

If you enjoyed this blog then try this one about speeding up Food System Transformation 

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African Food Fellowship holds inaugural Rwanda Festival

by Stella Odhiambo/

African Food Fellowship holds inaugural Rwanda Festival

Jaqueline Kubania 

Stella Odhiambo

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“We hope that guests walk away understanding that Fellows are rounded thought leaders, experts in their fields, and able to look at food systems in a complex way.”

- Claudia Piacenza, Regional Manager African Food Fellowship

The much-awaited inaugural Rwanda Transform Food Festival took place in Kigali on 23 July 2023. It brought together food systems leaders working in a range of different sectors to share ideas and collaborate on strategies for delivering a healthier, more inclusive, and sustainable food system for the country.

The exclusive high-level event hosted by the African Food Fellowship, (a partnership between Wasafiri and Wageningen University and Research) brought together food systems innovators, entrepreneurs, practitioners, and decision-makers working across government, private sector, civil society, and community groups. They engaged in discussions on how to work together to address existing and emerging issues in Rwanda’s food systems.

Participants engaging in day-long discussions

Speaking at the event, Permanent Secretary at Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Resources (MINAGRI) Dr Olivier Kamana, hailed the Rwanda Transform Food Festival for raising the profile of key issues that need the most attention from food system actors.

“These are actors who have expertise in different fields in the food system who can contribute to the ongoing process of designing the next phase of the Strategic Plan for Agriculture Transformation (PSTA5). We see them as key stakeholders who will make important additions to our strategy,” he said

More participants engaging in the discussion

The Fellowship works to shift the power, policies, incentives, and investments in order to bring about food systems transformation in the country. The day-long discussions around sustainable land use, food technology and trade, and access to nutritious foods explored these shifts.

The event was also an opportunity to expand the conversation to include actors beyond the Fellowship to forge collaborations that will ignite a faster transformation of Rwanda’s food system.

“We wanted actors to come together and discuss emerging issues in Rwanda’s food system, and think about working together to solve them. At the same time, we want to celebrate Fellows for the incredible work that they are doing to transform Rwanda’s food system,” said Anysie Ishimwe, Rwanda Dean and Country Implementation Lead.

Sylvie Nirere Winner of the Rwanda Food Systems Leadership Award

The festival culminated in the Rwanda Food Systems Leadership Award, which honours an outstanding Fellow whose work demonstrates the impact, sustainability, and scale necessary to bring about true food systems transformation.

Sylvie Nirere’s work helping thousands of horticulture farmers in Rwanda to access international markets in Europe and the Middle East, and thereby building a critical mass of topline exporters, clinched her the title.

African Food Fellowship Regional Manager, Claudia Piacenza said the Rwanda Transform Food Festival is a key ingredient of the Fellowship as it creates yet another opportunity for Fellows to come together and foster a sense of belonging, which makes it possible to work on complex food system issues that require collective action.

“As we start seeing Fellows exchanging lessons and exploring opportunities to collaborate, we know we are on the right track. We hope that guests walk away understanding that Fellows are rounded thought leaders, experts in their fields, and are able to look at the food system in a complex way,” she said.

Leaders engage in discussions at the event

Wasafiri Consulting and Wageningen University & Research initiated this fellowship to help deliver progress promised in the 2014 Malabo Declaration, which aims to end hunger on the continent by 2025, and to promote intra-Africa food exchange through the continental free trade area. The initiative enjoys support from the IKEA Foundation.

Interested in learning more about the African Food Fellowship?

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