For the first African Food Dialogue session of 2022 to be held by Stellenbosch University (SU) international agronomist Prof Ken Giller will look at the future of farming, and how diversity and inequality across different markets and value chains affect food security.

The event is hosted by the SU Faculty of AgriSciences and the Southern African Food Lab on 23 February at 13:00 at the Lanzerac Hotel.

Prof Giller is a professor in Plant Production Systems within the Wageningen Centre for Agroecology and Systems Analysis at Wageningen University in the Netherlands. His research focuses on smallholder farming systems in sub-Saharan Africa, and in particular problems of soil fertility and the role of nitrogen fixation in tropical legumes. His work emphasises the temporal and spatial dynamics of resources within crop/livestock farming systems and their interactions.

He leads initiatives such as N2Africa (Putting Nitrogen Fixation to Work for Smallholder Farmers in Africa) and is co-chair of the United Nation's Thematic Network 7 on Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems of Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN). Before joining Wageningen University Prof Giller held professorships at the University of London and the University of Zimbabwe.

The regular African Food Dialogue sessions are presented by the Southern Africa Food Lab, an initiative of the Faculty of AgriSciences at Stellenbosch University. It brings together diverse, influential stakeholders in Southern Africa food systems to respond to systemic issues in creative ways and to inspire change in how we think and act on complex social challenges. Lectures by experts are coupled with facilitated dialogue on African food systems.

To attend the public lecture online via the Teams platform, please RSVP before 20 February 2022. Contact Ms Karin Vergeer at [email protected] to register.