Managing Director Dr Jonathan Atkinson will moderate and join key discussions on fertilizer resilience, agricultural innovation and sustainable farming.
Solidaridad (Southern Africa) will participate in the 2026 Africa Food Systems Forum (AFS Forum), taking place in Kigali, Rwanda, from 31 August to 4 September 2026. The organisation will be represented by Dr Jonathan Atkinson, Managing Director for Solidaridad (Southern Africa), and Talentus Mthunzi, Head of Programme Quality and Impact.
“Within Southern Africa, Solidaridad’s Multi-Annual Strategic Plan IV places farmers at the centre of agricultural transformation. Through this strategy, we aim to reach 260,000 smallholder farmers, supporting at least 13,000 to become successful agricultural entrepreneurs while building food systems that are more resilient, inclusive and sustainable,” said Dr Atkinson.
The Africa Food Systems Forum is strategic for Solidaridad because it provides a valuable platform to share field-based best practices and thought leadership that can help scale practical solutions across the sector. It also enables us to develop and deepen partnerships, including the signing of a regional Memorandum of Understanding with the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) focused on Southern Africa.
According to Dr Atkinson, Solidaridad is a learning organisation and will use the AFS Forum to gain insights and learn from government, agriculture, research, finance and development stakeholders. He further asserts that these lessons will help strengthen the implementation of our five-year Multi-Annual Strategic Plan IV, which runs from 2026 to 2030, and advance more productive, inclusive and resilient food systems across Africa.
During the AFS Forum, Dr Atkinson will moderate the high-level dialogue, “Fertilizer Crisis: Solutions for Africa,” on Monday, 31 August, from 09:00 to 12:30 CAT at the Mövenpick Hotel. The session will explore integrated soil fertility management, innovative nutrient sources, policy reform, investment opportunities and scalable approaches to reducing Africa’s vulnerability to global fertilizer market shocks.
“Africa’s fertilizer challenge cannot be solved through a single intervention. We need locally appropriate solutions that combine healthier soils, smarter nutrient use, supportive policies, affordable finance and stronger markets for smallholder farmers,” said Dr Atkinson.
He will also attend the invitation-only SFP Partner Event on Monday at 16:30 CAT, which will bring together partners, donors, government representatives and collaborators to strengthen partnerships and share SFP’s strategic direction. On Wednesday, 2 September, Dr. Atkinson will participate as a panellist in the “Next-Gen Ag Solutions: Incubating Innovation in Sustainable Farming,” session from 08:00 to 10:00 CAT at the Kigali Convention Centre.
“Innovation only becomes meaningful when farmers can access it, use it and benefit from it. The AFS Forum is an important opportunity to turn promising ideas into practical solutions that improve productivity, resilience and livelihoods across the continent and take us one step closer to future-proofing our continent’s food systems,” concluded Talentus Mthunzi, Head of Programme Quality and Impact at Solidaridad (Southern Africa).
Solidaridad’s participation reflects its commitment to working with farmers, governments, businesses and development partners to accelerate sustainable and inclusive agricultural transformation across Africa.
