Project Summary
Governments around the world allocate substantial resources towards developing policies that address pressing public priorities, including sustainable food and nutrition security. Despite these investments, a significant gap often exists between policy objectives and real-world outcomes, revealing a global challenge in policy design and execution. In Africa, where food security and agricultural sustainability are of paramount importance, this challenge is particularly pronounced. The Pan-African Network for Economic Policy Analysis of Policies (PANAP) has taken up the mantle to address this issue by supporting economic analysis of policies affecting Africa’s agri-food systems. By empowering African researchers and promoting stronger collaboration between researchers and policymakers, PANAP strives to improve the effectiveness of policy implementation.
The Strengthening Evidence-Based Policy Practice for Sustainable Food Systems (StEPPFoS) project is an initiative designed to align PANAP’s efforts with those of the Food and Nutrition Security and Sustainable Agriculture (FNSSA) sector. By doing so, it aims to bridge the gap between policy and practice in a way that addresses Africa’s unique agricultural and nutritional challenges. StEPPFoS adopts a comprehensive approach that leverages PANAP’s research and economic analysis capacity, alongside FNSSA’s agenda, creating a model for addressing food system sustainability and nutrition security challenges.
Project Goal:
StEPPFoS aims to enhance coherence and alignment between PANAP and FNSSA to reduce the fragmentation of policy initiatives within the agri-food sector at both national and regional levels.
Project Partners
- Forum For Agricultural Research in Africa – FARA (Ghana)
- The Registered Trustees Of The Association For Strengthening Agricultural Research In Eastern And Central Africa – ASARECA (Uganda)
- Respons. Recher. Agronom.Afriq. De L’ouest & Du Centre – CORAF/WECARD (Senegal)
- Council For Scientific And Industrial Research – CSIR-GH (Ghana)
- European Centre for Development Policy Management – ECDPM (Netherlands)
- Food Agriculture And Natural Resources Policy Analysis Network – FANRPAN (South Africa)
- Regional Universities Forum For Capacity Building In Agriculture – RUFORUM (Uganda)
- Universität Hohenheim (Germany)
- European Alliance on Agricultural Knowledge for Development Agrinatura (Belgium)
- Kenya Institute for Public Policy Research and Analysis KIPPRA (Kenya)
- Stichting Wageningen Research – WR (Netherlands)
- African Forum For Agricultural Advisory Services – AFAAS (Uganda)
- Universita Ca’ Foscari Venezia – UNIVE (Italy)
- Universite Felix Houphouet Boigny (Benin)
- E-Science European Infrastructure For Biodiversity And Ecosystem Research – LifeWatch ERIC (Spain)
- Eastern Africa Farmers’ Federation Society – EAFF (Kenya)
- The Association of Commonwealth Universities (UK)
- The Joint Research Centre of the European Commission – EC-JRC (EU)
Project Objectives
- Enhance capacities across various sectors and institutions involved in evidence-based policy analysis for supporting food security and sustainable agriculture, including research, academia, public sector, private sector, and civil society stakeholders.
- Strengthen the interface between science and policy to facilitate science-based decision-making processes, particularly in shaping agro-policy and promoting inclusive transformation of national agrifood systems in Africa.
- Improve strategies for integrating scientific support into policy development processes in Africa and Europe, leveraging digital technologies and information systems to expedite the translation of research findings into actionable policies.
- Expand and reinforce the PANAP Network’s capabilities to provide support for African countries in conducting economic policy analysis related to food systems, with a focus on facilitating their transition towards sustainability.
Project Expected Outcomes
- Enhanced collaboration between the FNSSA Research and Innovation Partnership and the Pan-African Network for Economic Analysis of Policies (PANAP) within EU-AU cooperation aims to bolster the implementation of the FNSSA’s 10-year roadmap and advance the global shift toward sustainable food systems
- Provide opportunities for exchange in sustainable agricultural and food system policy development and related studies between EU and AU in the context of the EU-AU FNSSA Research and Innovation Partnership and in the framework of PANAP.
- Support African agricultural and food systems policy making process through enhanced cooperation in economic, social and environmental impact (including biodiversity) analysis of policy options for food systems, nutrition performance, agrifood trade, and development of rural areas.
Focus Countries
Africa-wide
FANRPAN Role
FANRPAN will leverage its expertise in stakeholder engagement, policy analysis and policy advocacy to contribute to the project.Through this
project, we aim to strengthen the capacities of stakeholders, enhance the science-policy interface that supports decision-making processes in
Africa’s food systems, as well as promote scientific support within policy development and expand and strengthen the PANAP network to
support African countries with economic analysis of food systems-related policies.
MEDIA
PUBLICATION
REPORTS
RESOURCES
EOI Call: 2026 Virtual Knowledge Forum on Sustainable Food Systems — Online
21–23 May 2026 | Deadline: 28 Feb 2026
