Stephanie Maw’s Post

Returning from the 𝗔𝗳𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗮 𝗙𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗦𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗺𝘀 𝗙𝗼𝗿𝘂𝗺 in Senegal last week has left me with so much to unpack! A very insightful and inspiring week delving into the complex challenges and huge opportunities that lie in transforming food systems across the African continent. Also at a personal level, this was an invaluable experience, between being drenched by extreme rainstorms (see photo) and negotiating repeated water outages. My discussions and engagement with smallholder farmers, local entrepreneurs, youth leaders, UN agencies and CSO actors really highlighted the importance of healthy, sustainable diets within the diverse African context. 5 key takeaways for me: 🌱 𝗜𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗼𝘂𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗱𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗳𝗼𝗼𝗱𝘀 are the pillars of Africa’s rich culinary heritage and biodiversity. Not only do they offer diverse, nutrient-dense and plant-rich diets, they also foster resilience and are adapted to the local climate. 💚 𝗕𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗻𝘂𝘁𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵 are key concerns, for policymakers but also consumers, and food holds a unique place in Africa to ensure its populations are thriving by increasing access to nutrient-dense, diverse, plant-rich whole foods, focusing on vulnerable communities.  🌍 With the continent being particularly exposed to climate shocks, food systems policies and programmes must be designed to mitigate 𝗰𝗹𝗶𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲 while enhancing 𝗳𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝘀𝗲𝗰𝘂𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘆 and increasing 𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗼𝗺𝗶𝗰 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗹𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲, avoiding over-reliance on external inputs and boosting production for domestic markets. 🙌 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗵 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗽𝗶𝘃𝗼𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗵𝗼𝗹𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀. With Africa having the youngest population of all continents, young people are already at the forefront at every part of the agrifood sector supply chain, from farmers to innovators, entrepreneurs, educators, and consumers. Empowering them as custodians of their countries’ future, requires the design and implementation of food policies to include youth in a co-creative process, now. 🚀 Africa stands ready to become a 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗺𝗽𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝗳 𝘀𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵𝘆 𝗳𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝘀𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗺𝘀 on the global stage, embracing innovation while celebrating the continent’s rich and heritage of diverse crops, deep-rooted knowledge, unique culinary traditions and agroecological farming practices. With #COP30 and #UNEA-7 on the horizon, I’m excited to feed my experiences and learnings into my advocacy work and partner collaborations. A big shout-out to my wonderful colleagues, Juliette Tronchon, Hakeem A. Jimo and Bola Adeyanju, I’m proud of our great teamwork on the ground!