South Africa and U.N. Agency Team Up on Science and Technology Roadmap to Revamp Food Systems

South Africa

South Africa’s government announced a new collaboration with the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization aimed at transforming the nation’s agriculture and food systems through science and innovation.

The Department of Science, Technology and Innovation said it is working with the FAO to develop a comprehensive Science, Technology and Innovation Roadmap for Agriculture. The initiative is designed to strengthen institutional coordination, accelerate innovation and help modernize the country’s agrifood sector, making it more inclusive, resilient and aligned with both national and regional development goals.

Agriculture has long been one of South Africa’s most resilient industries, but structural obstacles — including high input costs, energy shortages, market competition, the effects of climate change, and persistent rural poverty- have contributed to stagnant productivity and slower economic growth.

Officials said the roadmap is expected to foster development of high-value crops, livestock and processed agricultural goods, while expanding economic opportunities for women and young people in rural communities. Sustainable technologies, they added, will play a central role in improving food and nutrition security and strengthening critical value chains that support local livelihoods and socioeconomic transformation.

The roadmap is grounded in South Africa’s Science, Technology and Innovation Decadal Plan, covering the period from 2022 to 2032, and the 2019 Science and Technology White Paper. It also aligns with the FAO’s Strategic Framework through 2031 and supports the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals related to ending hunger, promoting innovation and addressing climate change.

Planned interventions include initiatives in plant and animal breeding, biosecurity, precision agriculture, digital decision-support tools and agro-processing. A key aim is to build a competitive agricultural bioeconomy that particularly benefits smallholder farmers and historically marginalized groups.

The roadmap will complement existing national strategies, such as the Agriculture and Agro-processing Master Plan and the Forestry Sector Master Plan. It will integrate related programs championed by various government departments, including fisheries, environmental affairs, and rural development.

To oversee the effort, directors-general from key departments will form a steering committee, and an advisory committee drawn from industry, academia and implementation agencies will provide additional guidance. An initial meeting introducing the project to stakeholders was held in September 2025.

South African officials said the roadmap, expected to be completed by September 2026, reflects the government’s commitment to harnessing science and innovation to tackle food insecurity and structural challenges in agriculture, goals that the FAO shares as it works to make global food systems more efficient, equitable and sustainable.