DSI-NRF Centre of Excellence in Food Security (CoE-FS)

#FOODSAFETY | “An important reality of the informal sector is also a lack of basic infrastructure and resources, such as waste removal, sanitary and personal hygiene facilities, i.e clean water, ablutions, and environments to prepare and trade food, such as cold storage facilities”. Read more from Professor Lise Korsten, CoE-FS Co-director and Food Safety lead, in this recent Mercury article: https://bit.ly/4figsWb

Meet Sheldon Viviers, a final-year Master's student in Biotechnology at the University of Pretoria and DSI-NRF Centre of Excellence in Food Security (CoE-FS). His research focuses on the characterisation of foodborne pathogens and antimicrobial resistance in smallholder fresh produce farms. Discover Sheldon's impactful findings in his publication, 'Microbiological Quality of Irrigation Water on Highly Diverse Fresh Produce Smallholder Farms: Elucidating Environmental Routes of Contamination,' https://lnkd.in/gSkX3i3P which highlights key environmental contamination routes influencing our food systems #AntimicrobialResistance #FoodSafety #Biotechnology #ResearchInAction #UniversityOfPretoria #FreshProduce

Carrying on with this weeks #AMRAwarenessWeek, we would like to share some recent research from our group at University of Pretoria and DSI-NRF Centre of Excellence in Food Security (CoE-FS)!! Did you know? Bacteria from our environment—like those in irrigation water and fresh produce—can carry antibiotic resistance, posing risks to our health.  In South Africa, research from our group investigated E. coli, a common environmental bacterium, to uncover its role in spreading antimicrobial resistance. Watch to learn about this important study and its implications for public health and follow the link and read along! https://lnkd.in/gjwRVxqR #AntibioticResistance #FoodSafety #PublicHealth #Microbiology #scicomm

From COP29 Azerbaijan to Rwanda, Kigali, we are pleased to host the African Food Systems Transformation Collective's (AFSTC) first in-person stakeholder gathering. The AFSTC is an initiative of The African Climate Foundation. During her remarks, our advisor, Irene Karani, highlighted the AFSTC as a pilot programme, emphasising its ability to "leverage thought leadership that can tell the African story in the African way. We have brought together a critical mass of people and organisations with the potential to be a force to be reckoned with". This event unites researchers and practitioners from across Africa to drive agroecological transitions and adopt a systems approach to food security. More highlights to follow. #AFSTC2024 is organised alongside DSI-NRF Centre of Excellence in Food Security (CoE-FS), Rwanda Organic Agriculture Movement and UNESCO Rwanda National Commission (CNRU). Malik Dasoo Florian Kroll

🌍 Transforming Africa’s food systems 🌱 The African Food Systems Transformation Collective (#AFSTC) kicked off its first-ever in-person gathering yesterday in Kigali, Rwanda, a significant step toward informing philanthropies and other stakeholders with evidence-based analysis and practical recommendations for strategies and partnership opportunities to promote agroecological food systems transitions in Africa. Over the next four days, stakeholders from across Africa, including researchers, agroecology leaders, philanthropies, and policymakers, will convene to share insights, strengthen partnerships, and strategise for the future. Key highlights from Day 1 include the presentation of 18 issue briefs addressing agrochemicals, gender, fishes and aquaculture, just transitions, land governance, and more. Recommendations emphasise collaboration, grassroots empowerment, and integrating innovation with traditional knowledge. Together, we’re cultivating partnerships and actionable strategies to build resilient, sustainable, and just food systems. Read more here: https://bit.ly/3B2ELJt #AFSTC2024 #FoodSystemsTransformation #Agroecology #Sustainability #ClimateAction #InnovationInAgriculture Photos: The African Climate Foundation, Rwanda Organic Agriculture Movement, Jean Claude NIYOMUGABO, Alexis Nyandwi. UNESCO Rwanda National Commission (CNRU) Florian Kroll

This Thursday, Professor Stephen Devereux will provide insight into the question, "Was there a famine in Gaza in 2024?". Ahead of the discussion, our partners at the Institute of Development Studies published a corresponding working paper. The paper, of the same name, reviews the evidence and concludes that, whether or not a ‘technical’ famine occurred, Israel’s use of food as a weapon of war against civilians in Gaza caused avoidable hunger and starvation deaths, and almost certainly constitutes a war crime and a crime against humanity. Read the paper here: https://bit.ly/48L32A5 Register for the event here: https://bit.ly/3YI5h3O

Congratulations to our director, Professor Julian May, on his appointment as Treasurer for the Academy of Science of South Africa. Read more here: https://bit.ly/48LP55d | University of the Western Cape The National Research Foundation of South Africa (NRF) Department of Science, Technology and Innovation National Planning Commission

Ahead of #COP29, which takes place from 11 to 22 November 2024, we look back at CoE-FS project lead Florian Kroll’s analysis of COP28. Will this year’s conference heed the call of those on the ground, those most and worst affected? Of Africa and the Global South? Or will it be "business as usual"? Full op-ed here: https://bit.ly/4fHle01

We, the DSI-NRF Centre of Excellence in Food Security (CoE-FS), are excited to announce our partnership with the University of Hohenheim (UHOH) to lead the establishment of the "Centre of Excellence for Sustainable and Resilient Food Systems and Applied Agricultural and Food Data Science", also known as “UKUDLA”. Following a competitive call for proposals by the DAAD German Academic Exchange Service, UKUDLA’s establishment marks significant international collaboration led by DAAD, alongside the UHOH in Germany, and four African partner universities. The University of the Western Cape is the South African host institution, while the University of Pretoria and LUANAR-Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources are the partners. The University of Mpumalanga is an affiliated member. Read more about UKUDLA and our involvement here: https://bit.ly/3NKIz4O

IN PICTURES | At the recent 5th International Social Justice Conference, hosted by the Stellenbosch University Centre for Social Justice, we re-created our “Hunger and Power” Food Indaba panel discussion, focusing on activist lawfare, and how we can use tools such as the law to fight injustice - including in the legal system itself. The panel was chaired by our director, Professor Julian May. Many thanks to our panellists for sharing their experience and expertise, yet again: - Movement builder Zackie Achmat - District Six Museum Head of Education Mandy Sanger - Political activist Asanda (Saule) Ngoasheng (she - her) - Intersectional climate justice activist Gabriel Klaasen. And a special thank you to Healthy Living Alliance | HEALA interim CEO Nzama Mbalati for stepping in to join the panel on the day. Photos by Icon Media Production. #SocialJusticeSummit2024 #ZeroHunger #sdgs