Governance
Diverse organisations—from government to businesses to civil society organisations—work together to change policies and practices that ensure just and sustainable local food systems. Our governance work recognises that systemic food system transformation requires coordinated action across sectors and levels of society. We facilitate collaboration between different stakeholders, support policy development that enables sustainable practices, and help organisations align their practices with food system justice principles. This multi-stakeholder approach is essential for creating the enabling conditions that allow communities, farmers, and food enterprises to thrive.
Supporting local Food strategies:
The Ethekwini experience
In partnership with local government and supported by ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability, the Food Lab has played a key role in supporting the development and implementation of the eThekwini Food Strategy. This strategy takes a bold step toward integrating food system considerations into broader urban development plans, recognising food as a vital part of city life rather than an afterthought.
Through learning journeys, stakeholder dialogues, and facilitated planning, we’ve helped ensure that the strategy reflects the lived realities of communities, small-scale farmers, informal traders, and civil society actors. These engagements have positioned food systems as essential to building urban resilience, local economies, and inclusive governance.
Capacity building through Tailor Made Training
In 2023, the Food Lab facilitated a Tailor Made Training (TMT) programme in Inchanga, KwaZulu-Natal, part of the Woza Nami project and supported by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs. This intensive, place-based training brought together policymakers, food system practitioners, and small-scale farmers to build capacity and co-develop strategies for local food governance.
Using a “living lab” approach, TMT enabled participants to engage in real-time learning and innovation. Topics ranged from food justice and gender equity to agroecology and circular economies. The programme culminated in integrated planning approaches that have informed both the Inchanga Agroecological Hub and the eThekwini Agroecology Unit.
A key outcome of the TMT process has been advocacy for municipal food markets, which are now gaining traction within the emerging National Food Security and Nutrition Policy (NFSNP). This work illustrates how local learning can influence national policy and how tailored training can catalyse lasting change.
Embedding Participation into Food Policy
Across our governance work, the Southern Africa Food Lab continues to champion inclusive, evidence-based, and community-driven approaches to food system transformation.
Whether working with local municipalities, like in eThekwini and the Breede Valley, or contributing to national policy frameworks, our aim is the same: to ensure that those most affected by food insecurity are at the centre of shaping the systems that serve them.
Exploring Transformative Governance with the Stockholm Resilience Centre
The Southern Africa Food Lab is deepening its commitment to transformative change through a new research partnership with the Stockholm Resilience Centre (SRC). Building on a long-standing relationship, this collaboration marks a fresh chapter in learning and reflection.
This initiative which forms part of the TRANSMOD research project focuses on the Inchanga Hub, examining the social dynamics and change processes that have emerged there over the past few years. While the Food Lab has long supported practical, multi-stakeholder solutions to food system challenges, this project seeks to scale deeper by exploring the relationships and collaborative processes that make such change possible and sustainable.
Together with the SRC, we aim to co-create space for building shared understandings, or “theories of change”, that reflect the complexity of real-world transformation. The research will pay particular attention to how we surface emerging issues, identify opportunities, and support inclusive, multi-actor dialogue. The Inchanga Hub’s iterative learning journey will serve as a case study, offering valuable insights into how transformation is experienced and understood on the ground.
Through reflective conversations with key stakeholders, both formal and informal governance processes will be documented. This partnership is an opportunity not only to share Inchanga’s story more broadly, but also to enrich our collective understanding of how meaningful, lasting change happens.
Khulisa Care: Integrated Support in the First 1,000 Days
Khulisa Care is a pioneering “Cash+Care” initiative launched in partnership with the Western Cape Government and the DG Murray Trust. This pilot project addresses the root causes of child stunting through a holistic intervention targeting pregnant women and low birth weight infants in vulnerable communities.
Combining monthly food vouchers redeemable at Shoprite with bi-weekly visits from trained community healthcare workers, Khulisa Care goes beyond nutritional support. It delivers an Enhanced Care Package that includes maternal nutrition education, mental health support, breastfeeding counselling, and encouragement of proactive health-seeking behaviours.
The programme is underpinned by collaborative research, with the Southern Africa Food Lab and the Western Cape Economic Development Partnership coordinating a diverse learning collective. This partnership brings together academic institutions, community stakeholders, and government departments to generate evidence for wider policy impact.
Running through October 2026, Khulisa Care is set to inform future scale-up decisions. Already, the Department of Social Development is exploring how its insights could shape national child support grant strategies. This is governance in action leveraging evidence, partnership, and compassion to ensure every child gets the chance to start well.