Sustainable Food Systems

The African Research Universities Alliance (ARUA) Centre of Excellence in Sustainable Food System (SFS) brings together ARUA members from East, West and Southern Africa, and two historically disadvantaged South African universities as associate members (i.e. Universities of the Western Cape and Fort Hare), as well as a broader consortium of African and international partners working on food security research, policy and capacity development to exponentially increase the networks of each participating institution and to maximise the translation of knowledge into impact at the grassroots and/or policy levels.

Partner Institutions and Collaborations

In addition to the academic partners, ARUA-SFS engages with various entities that have similar goals, but work in different spheres, to maximise the translation of knowledge into action and, ultimately, impact. For this reason, the ARUA-SFS partners with several role players in research (e.g., the South African Agricultural Research Council [ARC], French Agricultural Research Centre for International Development [CIRAD]), policy (e.g., the Food and Natural Resources Policy Advocacy Network [FANRPAN], Bureau for Food and Agricultural Policy [BFAP]), gender (e.g., African Women in Agricultural Research and Development [AWARD]), and capacity building (e.g., Regional Universities Forum for Capacity Building in Africa [RUFORUM]).

A major University of Pretoria initiative that presents wide-ranging opportunities for synergy and collaboration across the sciences is the Future Africa platform. Future Africa is host to the ARUA-SFS under the Future Africa Research Chair in Sustainable Food Systems and as part of its broader sustainable African food systems challenge domain. Future Africa’s objectives are an ideal framework within which the ARUA-SFS is supported in strengthening its research work, partnerships, and collaborations: to lead transformative research in, and for, Africa (Objective 1), to develop Africa’s transformative research leadership capabilities (Objective 2), to build transformative global partnerships for African research (Objective 3), and to foster a culture of dialogue and action for change in African research (Objective 4).

Furthermore, the University of Pretoria is a co-host (along with the University of the Western Cape) to the DST/NRF Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Food Security. This is a virtual centre that brings together the expertise of numerous South African and international institutions, across various disciplines. The UNESCO Chair in African Food Systems (AFS) is hosted by the DST/NRF CoE in FS. 

Similarly, our partner universities (within the ARUA network and South Africa) have a long-standing record of excellence in food systems research and complementary networks – expanding not only the quality of the science but the reach of the impact

Focus and Scope of Work

The ARUA-SFS vision is to “Harness partnerships in research and innovation to drive agricultural and food system transformation to ensure sustainable food security and nutrition in Africa.

BROAD OVERVIEW OF THE PROBLEM: Food security and nutrition in Africa

African countries are confronted with a triple burden of malnutrition. This triple burden consists of (i) deficiency of macronutrients leading to malnutrition (ii) deficiency of micronutrients (iii) overweight and its associated diseases. Undernourishment in Africa remains high with 220 million Africans still estimated to be suffering from chronic hunger and 58 million children under five stunted. Although African countries may produce and import enough energy per person per day, energy alone does not ensure nourished communities. High intakes of low cost, low nutrient, higher energy staple foods contribute to malnutrition.  Additionally, food waste and loss reduce the availability of safe, and preferable foods.

Africa is also faced with the triple challenges of poverty, inequality and unemployment.  In many African countries, large proportions of the population rely on agriculture not only for their food – but also for their livelihoods. A transformed agricultural and food system is thus a necessary condition for addressing this double-triple challenge. To accomplish this, there is an urgent need for a far greater focus on the full value-chain, from concept to commercialisation, effectively bridging the innovation chasm.  Such an approach requires the coordination of a range of stakeholders, including academics, indigenous knowledge holders, industry, science organisations and governments in Africa, to ensure progress. To address these challenges the ARUA-SFS has six impact areas in which to focus its research.

ARUA-SFS GOALS

The goals of the ARUA-SFS fall into four broad categories:

1. Research: Conduct cutting-edge research in Africa that is internationally regarded in six impact areas related to sustainable food systems.

2. Visibility and Networking: Leverage cutting-edge research to generate global recognition for African scholarship.

3. Capacity Building: Build the capacities of scientists in relation to sustainable food systems and nurture the next generation of researchers.

4. Stakeholder Engagement: Engage with stakeholders at grassroots and policy levels to translate knowledge into practice as well as evidence-led policy and decision-making.

IMPACT AREAS

ARUA-SFS intends its work to catalyse positive changes (impact) in Africa’s food systems so that they can be transformed into sustainable, resilient systems that support livelihoods, provide nutritious, safe food and protect the planet. Focusing on the future food system, ARUA-SFS intentionally aims to take advantage of advances in digital technologies and data science to offer solutions to the continent’s complex food systems challenges.

ARUA-SFS has identified impact areas where it focuses its research and work to catalyse impact in African food systems. These impact areas are:

• food, nutrition, and health
• jobs, poverty, and livelihoods
• climate and environment
• policy for food systems transformation
• digital technologies and data science
• inclusive food systems

Embedded in the ambitions of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the African Union’s Agenda 2063 – The Africa We Want, the ARUA-SFS impact areas articulate how we connect our work with society to achieve transformation.

For more information about ARUA-SFS, visit their website at https://aruasfs.com/

Contact

ARUA Centre of Excellence in Sustainable Food Systems
arua-sfs@up.ac.za

Prof. Frans Swanepoel
Interim Director ARUA Centre of Excellence in Sustainable Food Systems
frans.swanepoel@up.ac.za