AFSA will hold its 3rd African Food Systems conference in southern Africa and has elected to hold it in Zimbabwe so that it can coincide with the 8th annual Zimbabwe Traditional and Organic Food and Seed Festival. It will be hosted by AFSA member PELUM Zimbabwe.
Theme of the conference will be: Markets for Healthy Food Systems: what kind of markets do we need for the transition to agroecology?
When? The week of 14-18 September 2020
What? A 3-day conference 16-18 September, including visits to local food markets, and the Zimbabwe Food and Seed Festival.
Also optional side visits (11-13 September) to two communities in Masvingo Province (including seed fairs, agroecology school, traditional cuisines).
Who? Around 100-140 participants will include AFSA members, market specialists, academics, financiers, farmers, FAO, African Union / RECs, Zimbabwe Government, NGOs, donors.
Where? Conference venue near Harare to be confirmed – possibly conference hotel, training village, or game park.
Keynote Speakers:will potentially include:
- Charles Dhewa: on Informal Markets
- Mamadou Goita: on Market Policies
- Jennifer Astone: on Development Financing Mechanisms
- Michel Pimbert: on Markets and Agroecology
- Elizabeth Mpofu: on Women as Market Leaders
Sub-Themes will be:
- Understanding formal and informal markets: what can we learn from traditional African food markets?
- Policy spaces for market transformation: what needs to change?
- Women in marketing, processing and value addition: who are the drivers of change?
- Financing market transformation: do we need grants, loans, blended finance?
- Emerging alternative marketing systems: what’s already working and can we use it?
- Seed exchange and marketing: can farmer managed seed systems ensure healthy diets?