Solidaridad is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr Jonathan Atkinson as its new Managing Director for Southern Africa. Dr Atkinson brings over 20 years of international experience in agronomy, sustainable land management, and digital agriculture. His professional experience spans the public, private, and academic sectors, with a career focused on sustainable agriculture, soil health, climate resilience, and agricultural innovation across Africa. His work has focused on translating science into scalable, practical solutions that strengthen farming systems and improve livelihoods.
He holds a PhD in Agricultural Science from Stellenbosch University in South Africa, specialising in geospatial technologies for soil mapping and natural resource management. He is also a registered Professional Natural Scientist with the South African Council for Natural Scientific Professions and a registered Geographical Information System (GIS) professional with the South African Geomatics Council. He has led large scale, multi-country programmes and multi-disciplinary teams, bridging research, policy and implementation.
Prior to joining Solidaridad, Dr Atkinson served as the Head of Agronomy for Maaden Africa and General Manager of the Meridian Group’s Farm Services Unit, leading a 300 person team across seven African countries and strengthening last mile advisory delivery for farmers. Over the course of his career, Dr Atkinson has successfully led and supported the development of high-impact programmes that have attracted significant donor, private-sector, and institutional investment into agriculture, climate resilience, and smallholder market systems. He has successfully mobilised more than $10,000,000 USD (about R168,057,000) in programme funding for high impact agricultural development initiatives and built strong strategic, pan-African partnerships with governments, development institutions, and the private sector.
Speaking on his appointment, Dr Atkinson said: “My vision is to position the Southern African region of Solidaridad as a systems catalyst for inclusive and climate resilient agricultural economies. This means moving beyond project delivery to scalable, market integrated solutions that deliver measurable impact.” His first 100 days will focus on strategic alignment, portfolio focus, and strengthening partnerships to support long term impact. “Real impact comes from collaboration across value chains. When off takers, input suppliers, financiers, and farmers align, we unlock systems that improve productivity, traceability, and market access. Digital and data driven systems will be central to this shift, from farmer profiling to geospatial intelligence and climate services. These tools are key to improving decision making and scaling what works,” adds Dr Atkinson.
Solidaridad continues to expand its work in climate smart agriculture and regenerative practices within Southern Africa, especially in Malawi, Mozambique, South Africa and Zambia. The organisation has already placed 162,861 hectares under sustainable management and supported 205,299 farmers to access improved services, reinforcing its role in scalable agricultural transformation. “Success is when Solidaridad is recognised as a trusted partner delivering scalable, market driven solutions that improve livelihoods, strengthen soil health, and build resilience at scale. This must be achieved by a motivated team that is aligned and focused on impact,” concludes Dr Atkinson.
