Innovative Pathways Empowering Agrifood Systems in East and Southern Africa

The subprogramme aimed to strengthen agrifood systems in East and Southern Africa, focusing on enhancing resilience, sustainability and inclusivity. Designed in response to the challenges facing agrifood systems in the region, including economic, social, environmental and health pressures, the subprogramme sought to address these issues through improved policymaking, stakeholder engagement and capacity building. The COVID-19 pandemic further highlighted the need for resilient agrifood systems, reinforcing the importance of this initiative. The subprogramme’s primary objective was to create more robust agrifood systems by improving the enabling environment through enhanced multistakeholder dialogue, harmonised policy frameworks, and strengthened capacities of both state and non-state actors. This would be achieved by focusing on three key outputs: (i) promoting inclusive dialogue for agrifood systems transformation, (ii) aligning policies and regulatory frameworks, and (iii) building the capacity of relevant actors.