In the Picture: Dr. Tshilidzi Madzivhandila (FANRPAN) and Dr. Patrice Talla (FAO Sub-Regional Coordinator for Southern Africa and FAO Representative in Zimbabwe)
FANRPAN and FAO Strengthen Partnership for Evidence-Based Agricultural Policy in Southern Africa
FANRPAN welcomed Dr. Patrice Talla, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Sub-Regional Coordinator for Southern Africa and FAO Representative in Zimbabwe, along with Dr. Lewis Hove, FAO Resilience Team Leader for Southern Africa, to its Regional Secretariat Office in Pretoria on the 22nd of May 2025.
The meeting provided an important opportunity to explore and deepen strategic collaboration between FANRPAN and FAO. Discussions centred on aligning efforts to strengthen evidence-based policy development, enhance regional food systems resilience, and promote sustainable agricultural transformation in Southern Africa.
Key areas of mutual interest identified during the engagement included:
- Enhancing Knowledge Generation and Use: Both organizations underscored the need to improve the generation, management, and dissemination of timely, context-relevant knowledge products to support policy formulation and implementation.
- Promoting Science-Policy Linkages: The participants reaffirmed their shared commitment to ensuring that scientific evidence and locally grounded research inform decision-making processes at national and regional levels, particularly in the domains of food security, climate resilience, and sustainable land management.
- Joint Programming Opportunities: The dialogue also explored potential avenues for joint initiatives, including co-hosting regional dialogues, contributing to agricultural policy reviews, and supporting national and regional resilience frameworks.
Dr. Talla commended FANRPAN for its extensive stakeholder networks and its pivotal role in facilitating multi-stakeholder policy engagement across the region. In turn, FANRPAN highlighted FAO’s technical expertise and longstanding contributions to agricultural development and resilience-building in Southern Africa.
The meeting concluded with a shared commitment to formalizing collaboration through a targeted work plan that leverages the strengths of both institutions to accelerate agricultural and climate policy impact across the region.
In the picture, left to right: Dr. Lewis Hove (FAO Resilience Team Leader for Southern Africa), Dr. Tshilidzi Madzivhandila (FANRPAN), Dr. Patrice Talla (FAO Sub-Regional Coordinator for Southern Africa and FAO Representative in Zimbabwe), Ms Sithembile Mwamakamba (FANRPAN), and Mr Francis Hale (FANRPAN)