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The AgriFoSe2030 programme targets the UN Sustainable Development Goal 2: “End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture” in low-income countries.
Developed by a consortium of scientists from the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), Lund University, University of Gothenburg and SEI, the programmme synthesises and translates existing science into policy and practice, and develops capacity to achieve this.
Rice fields in Vietnam. Photo Credit: Quang Nguyen / Pixabay
Photo Credit: Quang Nguyen / Pixabay
Despite economic growth and millions of people having been lifted out of poverty, food insecurity and a lack of nutrition remain daunting challenges in many parts of the world. The number of people suffering from hunger is on the rise, and two-thirds of the global extreme poor work hard to earn their livelihoods in agriculture.
The challenges of achieving food and nutrition security are largest in sub-Saharan Africa and South and Southeast Asia, where smallholder farmers provide around 80% of the food consumed. Hence, transforming smallholder farming in these regions to increase productivity, profitability and environmental and social sustainability will be a key to reaching Sustainable Development Goal 2, as well as and many other SDGs.
Farmers guiding herd of cattle. Photo Credit: AC Productions / Getty Images
This transformation is, however, complex, and may have both negative and positive outcomes for large groups in society. The magnitude of the challenge increases in the face of climate change and loss of ecosystem services (including loss of biodiversity and soil fertility), which seriously threaten food and nutrition security for humanity.
To reach SDG2, there is a need for a transformative agenda that includes science-based, well-crafted and, crucially, context-specific government interventions and policies, as well as improved and innovative agricultural practices.
It is therefore critical to assist countries in sub-Saharan Africa and South and Southeast Asia to develop their capacity to catalyze and govern this transition. Science and scientists have a crucial role to play in this transformation, and in supporting vulnerable and poor people in meeting future food and development demands. Science can offer technical and social solutions and support policy reform and new practices. This means going beyond academic journals and finding ways to collaborate with policymakers and practitioners to jointly frame problems, generate new knowledge, and make that knowledge relevant to specific contexts. This is what AgriFoSe2030 sets out to do.
The work of the programme entails the following:
Illustration of how researchers from target countries and Sweden within AgriFoSe2030 collaborate and build capacity to synthesize, co-create and communicate scientific data and research findings in dialogue with various stakeholders. The aim is to support evidence-based decision-making and improve practice, with the ultimate goal of reaching SDG2.
AgriFoSe Figure 1
AgriFoSe2030 Phase II, which launches in November 2020, will focus on four challenges (see figure below). These challenges are at the core of Phase II and provide the platform for upcoming activities. Each challenge addresses a specific aspect of agriculture and food security in sub-Saharan Africa and South and Southeast Asia. The challenges were chosen in dialogue with AgriFoSe2030 partners, including steering group members and researchers in the AgriFoSe2030 network representing different agricultural disciplines and regions. The theme-specific expertise from Phase I will be present in each challenge, and communication and engagement strategies will be developed on a project basis for each challenge.
Challenges in AgriFoSe2030 Phase II. AgriFoSe2030 areas of expertise overlap in all four challenges, and Communication and Engagement is integral to each.
AgriFoSe2030
Here you can read more about the four challenges:
The AgriFoSe2030 programme is developed by a consortium of scientists from the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), Lund University, Linköping University and Stockholm Environment Institute. The programme is funded by Sida, the Swedish International Development Agency, and is starting a new four-year phase in 2020 with a budget of SEK 60 million. The programme began in November 2015 with its first phase, which ended in June 2020. AgriFoSe2030 is hosted by SLU Global at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences.
The organizational structure of AgriFoSe2030.
AgriFoSe2030
The AgriFoSe2030 programme is organized as shown in the figure above. There is an advisory board that governs the programme, which is coordinated and supported by SLU Global. The consortium leads the four challenges and their respective projects. In addition, there is a communication and engagement team that supports the programme in outreach and stakeholder engagement.
Other publication / The synthesis of narratives from AgriFoSe2030 project reports and program evaluation documents was led by Selorm Kugbega, Brenda Ochola and Lovisa Hast.
Past event / The launch event of AgriFoSe2030 to highlight and celebrate the new, second phase of the programme, took place on 24 November 2020.
Project / The Swedish International Agricultural Network Initiative – SIANI – is a global network that supports and promotes dialogue and action around food systems.
Media coverage / The AgriFoSE report Navigating the food crises is covered by Nation.
Other publication / Seven perspectives on how the current food crisis and the global interlinkages of the agricultural sector are unfolding in East Africa and Southeast Asia.
Past event / The AgriFoSe2030 team invites you to join us for the launch of the perspectives report on approaches to navigating food crises in SSA and SE Asia.
