What:                 The African Union Commission through the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, in collaboration with FARA is organizing the Multi-Actor Consultations for Strengthening Foresight Systems for Resilient Agrifood Systems.

When:          8^th – 10^th December 2025

Time:            09H00-17H00

Where:        Nairobi, the Republic of Kenya   

Objective:    The main objective of the workshop is to enhance the capacity of policymakers, researchers, and food system stakeholders to institutionalize inclusive and anticipatory foresight systems that build resilient, climate-smart, and future-ready agrifood systems in Africa.

Specific Objectives:

1. Mapping: Identify and assess existing foresight capacities, institutional roles, and tools at national and regional levels.
2. Dialogue: Facilitate cross-sectoral exchange on foresight gaps, priorities, and barriers among governments, academia, private sector, and civil society.
3. Co-Design: Develop a continental “Framework for Inclusive Foresight Integration” aligned with the CAADP 2026–2035 Strategy and FSRP goals.
4. Capacity Building: Deliver practical training on foresight methodologies, scenario planning, early warning, and risk analysis.
5. Policy Uptake: Generate actionable recommendations and inputs for AU-level policy briefs and implementation roadmaps to support resilient food systems.

Expected outcomes

The consultation workshop aims to come up with:

1. A Comprehensive mapping of foresight actors, systems, and institutional linkages in Eastern and Southern Africa.
2. A Draft Framework for Inclusive Foresight Integration in Agrifood Systems Resilience Policy.
3. A multi-stakeholder communiqué articulating shared principles, priorities, and next steps.
4. A Technical report and synthesis brief for AUDA-NEPAD, AUC-DARBE, and FSRP implementation partners.
5. An Open-access training materials, presentations, and workshop recordings to enable replication and regional capacity building.

Background:

Eastern and Southern Africa's agrifood systems face escalating risks from climate extremes, pandemics, pests, supply chain disruptions, and sociopolitical instability. These compound crises are accelerating food insecurity, degrading ecosystems, and deepening structural vulnerabilities across the region. The recent CAADP Strategy and Action Plan (2026–2035) and the Kampala CAADP Declaration call for urgent investment in forward-looking, evidence-based, and inclusive systems to anticipate such shocks and chart sustainable transformation pathways.

Foresight systems, encompassing strategic planning, scenario analysis, early warning, and anticipatory governance, are fundamental to building long-term agrifood system resilience. However, existing foresight efforts remain fragmented, technocratic, and poorly integrated across institutions and policy domains. They are often disconnected from community priorities, particularly the perspectives of women, youth, smallholder farmers, and civil society. As outlined in CAADP Strategic Objective 5 (Building Resilient Agrifood Systems), unlocking foresight’s potential requires both institutional and participatory reform.

This consultation responds to Component 4.3 of the Food Systems Resilience Program (FSRP) Phase 3, which aims to operationalize foresight capacities by enhancing forecasting tools, institutional preparedness, cross-sectoral collaboration, and adaptive governance. It is also directly informed by the Africa Common Position to the UN Food Systems Summit, which advocates for foresight and multi-actor governance as foundational levers for food systems transformation.

Participants:

The consultation workshop will be brought together national policymakers, agricultural research institutions and foresight experts, farmer organisations, youth and women led Agri-enterprises, RECs, AU, AUDA-NEPAD and media practitioners.

For further information, please contact:

Dr. Janet Edeme – Head of Division, Rural Development Ag Head of Agriculture and Food Security Division Directorate (ARD) African Union Commission Email: EdemeJ@africanunion.org

Mukulia Kennedy Ayason; Policy Officer; Rural Infrastructure and Marketing, African Union Commission Email Ayasonm@africanunion.org

For media inquiries, please contact:

Mr.  Molalet Tsedeke, Information and Communications Directorate; AU Commission Tel: 0911-630631; Email: molalett@africanunion.org