UKZN’s African Centre for Food Security Champions Community-Engaged Research for Sustainable Food Systems

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The Committee on World Food Security (CFS) held a week-long gathering in Rome recently, drawing global leaders, experts, and academics to discuss critical issues around food security, nutrition and sustainable food systems.

The event, titled: “Nourish to Flourish: Strengthening Resilient Food Systems from Community Roots to Global Governance”, emphasised the need for local and global solutions to strengthen food sovereignty and improve nutrition outcomes. The gathering explored the intersection of local food systems and global trade, and the importance of community-driven initiatives to create resilient, nutrition-focused food systems.

Among the key contributors to the academic dialogue at the gathering were Professor Joyce Chitja, Director of the African Centre for Food Security (ACFS) at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, who joined forces with Professor Jan Swanepoel from the University of the Free State to focus on the vital role of academic institutions in fostering innovation, conducting impactful research and advancing education to build sustainable food systems - particularly those that support smallholder farmers and community-led initiatives. Their input underscored the importance of universities engaging directly with communities to address local challenges in meaningful ways.

In her presentation, Chitja highlighted UKZN’s strategic approach to community engagement, an integral part of the University’s goals for the next decade. She emphasised that universities must adopt robust community engagement (CE) strategies to ensure that research and teaching are directly aligned with the needs of communities. UKZN has identified community engagement as one of its five core goals over the next 10 years, reflecting a commitment to bridging academic research and real-world applications in food systems.

‘Community engagement is central to how we at UKZN approach food security challenges,’ Chitja said. It’s not enough for universities to simply conduct research in isolation. We need to work alongside communities, in co-beneficial partnerships, to ensure that research outcomes address real-world issues and have a lasting impact.’

She stressed that this approach not only advances community well-being but also enriches academic work, creating a cycle where research informs teaching and, in turn, students are trained to become transformation agents within their communities.

Chitja also highlighted the importance of producing graduates who can drive change in food systems, saying that UKZN’s community-engaged research model directly informs the type of students the Institution aims to produce. These students are equipped to improve agency within communities and contribute to the broader efforts of governments and stakeholders working towards food security.

The event itself began with welcoming remarks from moderator, Professor Jane Battersby, who set the tone for the discussions by emphasising the need for global governance mechanisms to support food sovereignty and foster resilient local food systems. The keynote address by Mr Michael Fakhri, the Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food, provided a broad overview of how global economic governance intersects with local food systems, impacting food sovereignty and ultimately, nutrition outcomes.

Key panelists included representatives from civil society, government and international organisations, who discussed grassroots movements, the importance of multi-stakeholder approaches, and how policy frameworks can support smallholder farmers and local food initiatives. The discussions emphasised the need for collaborations among governments, academia, civil society, and small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to enhance food security and promote sustainable practices.

In her closing remarks, Dr Joanne Raisin, Director of the Scaling Up Nutrition Movement, underscored the interconnectedness of local actions and global governance in achieving food sovereignty, and called for continued collaboration and the sharing of insights and best practices to drive lasting change in food systems.

Words: Sally Frost

Photograph: Supplied