Current project | 2026 to 2029
CS-PILLAR
Three countries. Three national tables. Policy change that lasts.
Capacity Strengthening for Policy Implementation towards Improved Livelihoods and Local Agrifood Systems Resilience in Africa
- Duration
- March 2026 to February 2029
- Countries
- Eswatini, Uganda, Zimbabwe
- Focus
- Seed, post-harvest, livestock extension
- Delivery
- Secretariat and three national nodes
- Funder
- Judith Neilson Foundation
- Status
- Year 1 in delivery
Why this programme
Good ideas reach farmers only when institutions can carry them
CS-PILLAR works on the policies, coordination structures and institutions that decide whether proven solutions reach farmers.
In each country a national FANRPAN node brings government, regulators, researchers, farmer organisations and the private sector together around evidence they help to shape, and supports them to turn it into policy and practice. The programme does not deliver services to farmers directly. Its aim is change that continues after the programme ends.
SeedEswatini
Most of the seed Eswatini’s farmers plant comes from outside the country. The statutory committee created to coordinate the seed sector had been inactive for several years.
Post-harvestUganda
Uganda has proven storage and drying technologies and good aflatoxin controls. What is missing is coordination, financing and regulation across the institutions involved.
LivestockZimbabwe
Community animal health workers are a last-mile solution for livestock keepers, but they work without formal recognition in the national animal health system.
The national tables
Each country now has its own table
Each workstream is led by a national institution and anchored in the ministry that holds the policy mandate. Select a country on the map.
Inclusive seed systems | Outcome 2
Eswatini
Stronger national seed systems, with room for women- and youth-led seed enterprises and wider access to climate-resilient varieties.
- National node
- Coordinating Assembly of Non-Governmental Organisations (CANGO)
- Government lead
- Ministry of Agriculture
- Working group
- The statutory National Seed Committee, designated by the Ministry in July 2026
- Members
- 7, chaired by the Acting Registrar of Seeds
- Planned outputs
- National seed systems study; National Seed Policy Roadmap and Investment Plan
From the first meetingsThe Committee named a shared priority: international accreditation of the national seed testing laboratory and of seed inspectors, pursued together.
Read the latest story
Post-harvest management | Outcome 3
Uganda
Less maize lost between harvest and market, and safer food, through national coordination and practical guidance.
- National node
- Makerere University
- Government lead
- Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries
- Working group
- National Post-Harvest Management Technical Working Group
- Members
- 11, chaired by the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries, with the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Cooperatives as vice-chair
- Planned outputs
- National post-harvest management study; practical safe-storage guidance
From the first meetingsMembers broadened the group’s mandate to post-harvest management as a whole, giving Uganda a standing national mechanism. CS-PILLAR keeps its focus on maize.
Read the latest storyCommunity-based livestock extension | Outcome 4
Zimbabwe
Community-based livestock extension and CAHW formalisation, so that Community Animal Health Workers are recognised and supported within the national system.
- National node
- Agricultural Research Council (ARC)
- Government lead
- Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development
- Working group
- Community Animal Health Worker Technical Working Group
- Members
- 11, chaired by the Zimbabwe Farmers Union, with the Directorate of Veterinary Services as vice-chair
- Planned outputs
- Needs assessment; national guidelines; standardised training curriculum
From the first meetingsMembers set the end point as a change in the legal or regulatory position of community animal health workers, with the policy paper as the instrument rather than the goal.
Read the latest story29national members across the three working groups
31%of members are women, meeting the programme target
3working groups led by national institutions, each with a youth seat
1statutory national body brought back to work
Position at 30 September 2026.
Policy pathway tracker
Where each country stands
Six stages from a working group to policy uptake. The marker shows where each country is today.
Updated 19 October 2026
Eswatini
Seed systemsWorking group in place
Done10 August 2026
Evidence agenda set
DoneStudy terms of reference finalised, 25 September 2026
Study commissioned
In progressStudy advertised on 1 October 2026; consultant being contracted
Study validated
PlannedValidation meeting with the National Seed Committee and sector stakeholders
Policy roadmap or guidance
PlannedNational Seed Policy Roadmap and Investment Plan
Policy uptake
PlannedUptake through the Ministry of Agriculture
Uganda
Post-harvest managementWorking group in place
Done2 September 2026
Evidence agenda set
DoneStudy terms of reference finalised, 19 October 2026
Study commissioned
In progressStudy advertised on 19 October 2026; applications close 2 November 2026
Study validated
PlannedValidation with the working group and stakeholders
Policy roadmap or guidance
PlannedPractical safe-storage guidance
Policy uptake
PlannedUptake through national coordination
Zimbabwe
Livestock extensionWorking group in place
Done4 August 2026; chair and vice-chair elected 16 September
Evidence agenda set
In progressScope of the needs assessment being agreed with the Ministry’s Chief Directors
Study commissioned
PlannedNeeds assessment to be commissioned
Study validated
PlannedValidation with the working group and the Ministry
Policy roadmap or guidance
PlannedNational guidelines and a standardised CAHW curriculum
Policy uptake
PlannedA change in the regulatory position of CAHWs
Milestones so far
- 16 July 2026Eswatini
Ministry designates the National Seed Committee
- 4 August 2026Zimbabwe
CAHW working group established, Harare
- 10 August 2026Eswatini
Seed Committee meets for the first time in years
- 13 August 2026Uganda
Makerere University node agreement executed
- 14 August 2026Regional
SADC policy dialogue, Durban, co-convened by FANRPAN
- 2 September 2026Uganda
Post-harvest working group established, Kampala
- 16 September 2026Zimbabwe
Revised terms of reference adopted, chair elected
- 25 September 2026Eswatini
National seed systems study terms of reference finalised
The Working Group commits to a document that results in change, not to a document alone.
From the minutes of the Community Animal Health Worker Technical Working Group, Harare, 4 August 2026
What we are learning
Three lessons from Year 1
01
Start with institutions that already hold the mandate
In Eswatini the programme worked through the statutory National Seed Committee instead of creating a new project body. A body with a legal mandate brings government ownership and a direct line to decision-makers.
02
Evidence must be shaped by those who will act on it
Findings are accepted when the institution that must act on them helps to produce them. In Zimbabwe the Directorate of Veterinary Services is now vice-chair, and the needs assessment will be shaped with the Ministry before it is commissioned.
03
Build inclusion into membership from the first meeting
Women make up 31 per cent of working group members, meeting the programme’s target. Each working group has a dedicated youth seat, and registers now record sex and age as standard.
What changes next
What comes next
From working groups to evidence. The national studies are commissioned and validated with the groups that shaped them.
- NextAll countries
Eswatini study consultant contracted; Uganda study advertised; Zimbabwe working group meets the Ministry’s Chief Directors; joint workplan with FAO on community animal health.
- NextEswatini and Secretariat
Second National Seed Committee meeting and a draft Eswatini study; MEAL consultant engaged, with a baseline survey of working group members.
- ThenEswatini
Eswatini study validation meeting, with a target of 50 participants and at least 30 per cent women and youth.
- ThenUganda and Zimbabwe
Uganda study validation and second working group meeting; Zimbabwe needs assessment commissioned.
- Year 2All countries
Workplans for the second year agreed with each national node, moving from evidence to policy roadmaps and guidance.
Built for 2029
What the programme intends to achieve
Policy influence
FANRPAN evidence informs at least three national policy or regulatory processes across the three countries.
Seven programme outcomes
- 01Institutional strengthening and resource mobilisation
- 02Inclusive seed systems, Eswatini
- 03Post-harvest management, Uganda
- 04Community-based livestock extension, Zimbabwe
- 05Regional alignment with the AU and RECs
- 06Monitoring, evaluation, accountability and learning
- 07Knowledge generation and policy advocacy
Aligned with
- CAADP Strategy and Action Plan 2026 to 2035
- Kampala CAADP Declaration (2025)
- Agenda 2063
- Regional frameworks of SADC, COMESA and EAC
News and updates
Latest from the programme
Work with us
Partner on stronger agrifood policy
We welcome engagement from governments, funders, research institutions, farmer organisations and regional bodies working on seed systems, post-harvest management and livestock extension.
Delivered by
- FANRPAN Regional Secretariat
- CANGO, Eswatini
- Makerere University, Uganda
- Agricultural Research Council, Zimbabwe
Oversight by a Programme Steering Committee. With support from the Judith Neilson Foundation.
- Telephone
- +27 12 804 2966 | +27 12 804 3186
- Address
- 141 Cresswell Road, Weavind Park, Silverton, Pretoria, South Africa