AfriFOODlinks quarterly newsletter | December 2023

PROJECT UPDATES

Laying the foundations for intercontinental city exchange

In an era of rapid urbanisation and increasing pressure on the complex infrastructures which support urban food systems, collaboration and knowledge-sharing across borders has never been more important. Recognizing the crucial role of cities in transforming food systems, AfriFOODlinks has set ambitious goals to foster collaboration between city officials championing food system transformation in twenty African and European cities.

Meet the Youth Ambassadors from Cape Town, Mbale, Kisumu, Tunis and Ouagadougou

The Youth Ambassadorship aims to create space for youth to participate in the processes of decision making to foster inclusion in policy formation processes and promote agency- and the opportunity to influence all project activities and outputs. They will be the voices of those who are often excluded in the food system while becoming a part of a network of food system game-changers who will revive the interest in food in our African cities and communities. Meet the youth who are amplifying and activating food systems in their cities, and engage with their experiences!

Sindile Kamlana
Cape Town, South Africa

Rahmina Paullete
Kisumu, Kenya

Sam Wesamoyo
Mbale, Uganda

Farida Tiemtore Sonia
Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso

Adel Azouni
Tunis, Tunisia

Calling for youth in Antananarivo, Arusha, Bukavu, Chefchaouen, Dakar, Lusaka, Niamey, Quelimane, Tamale and Windhoek!

AfriFOODlinks is looking for Youth Ambassadors to share stories of their food systems, engage decision makers in debate, and create the food-world of their dreams. The project hopes to amplify the vibrant, energetic and powerful voices of the youth #throughfood. Applications are open to youth between the ages of 18-30 in Antananarivo, Arusha, Bukavu, Chefchaouen, Dakar, Lusaka, Niamey, Quelimane, Tamale and Windhoek! Apply by 26 January 2024

PARTNER UPDATES

Ten years of ICLEI CityFood: Celebrating one of the oldest urban food programs in the world

To celebrate the 10 years of the Global CityFood Program, ICLEI hosted a virtual event showcasing the various levers cities can pull to transform their food system and drive climate action from the bottom up. Tamsin Faragher, Principal Resilience Officer at the City of Cape Town, shared insights on the city’s work to improve food access and food systems resilience in the context of AfriFOODlinks, and stressed the role of the city’s markets as multidimensional hubs.

Engineering sustainable food systems through multistakeholder collaboration

Addressing interlinked food system challenges requires sound research and robust, inclusive multi-stakeholder collaboration. Platforms such as KLIP serve as a shining example of how this can be done for Kisumu and beyond.

Collaboration beyond dialogue

From the 17th to the 19th of July 2023, Dakar, Senegal, became a focal point of transformative dialogue by hosting the 5th MUFPP Regional Forum in Africa, together with the Milan Urban Food Policy Pact (MUFPP) and the NGOs ACRA and Mani Tese. The primary objective of this gathering was clear: to support African cities to foster sustainable urban food systems through cooperation, knowledge sharing, and the provision of innovative tools for effective food policies and actions.

NEWS

Cities’ leadership inspires food and climate action on the global stage

With a dedicated Food Day and the Emirates Declaration’s endorsement by the Council of the European Union, the imperative link between agriculture, food systems, and the Paris Agreement was underscored at COP28.

COP28 Presidency event: Cities Leading the Way on Sustainable Food and Climate

As part of the official COP28 Presidency agenda, ICLEI’s CityFood Programme co-hosted the event “Cities Leading the Way on Sustainable Food and Climate” on 6 December, which demonstrated city leadership in tackling food and climate, while calling for national governments to strengthen collaboration with local authorities in their efforts to integrate food in Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs). During the event, Manuel de Araújo, Mayor of Quelimane (AfriFOODLinks Sharing City) shared his city’s strategy to bolster and strengthen food systems, in particular in informal settlements.

LATEST RESOURCES

How do the people that feed Europe feed themselves

The resilience of the EU’s food system hinges on often-overlooked informal strategies employed by essential workers. To ensure just and inclusive food system transformations, acknowledging the significance of these invisible contributors is imperative.

Urbal guide

Urbal is a multistep method that helps you better understand your sustainable food system innovation. With tools to map how food system innovations create changes and impacts over time, Urbal can help uncover key barriers and enablers of sustainability and provide important information for community members, practitioners, decision makers, and researchers working to make food systems better. This guide explains how to use the Urbal process.

1 December 2023