The project organised its first round of consultations with regional-level stakeholders on August 6, 2024; as part of the FANRPAN Annual Regional Multi-Stakeholder Policy Dialogue (August 6-9; Lilongwe).  

FoSTA Health Team Members Abhigya (CzechGlobe) and Stacia Nordin (KIDS) carried out a food systems mapping exercise with representatives of organisations responsible for agricultural research and policy at the Southern African/ African level. In a parallel session, Mapenzie Tauzie and Peter Yiga (University of Leeds) presented and received feedback on preliminary results of their research on gender empowerment, nutrition, and dietary transition (in Malawi and Zambia). Simultaneously, Emmanuel Likoya (Malawi University of Science and Technology) shared initial insights from his ongoing work on irrigation development in Malawi, to a group of stakeholders working on the theme in Malawi and across southern Africa. 

FoSTA-Health team members also contributed to other sessions at the 4-day dialogue, addressing key policy themes related to transformations in African agriculture. This included cropping and dietary diversification (away from maize, the main staple across the continent), expansion of agricultural trade within Africa and the Southern African region, responses to the recent drought, and a range of innovations for boosting productivity and climate resilience of African agriculture. 

Detailed reports and outputs from the event will be available soon.