Project Overview

Governments around the world allocate substantial resources towards developing policies that address pressing public priorities, including sustainable food and nutrition security. Despite these investments, a significant gap often exists between policy objectives and real-world outcomes, revealing a global challenge in policy design and execution. In Africa, where food security and agricultural sustainability are of paramount importance, this challenge is particularly pronounced. The Pan-African Network for Economic Policy Analysis of Policies (PANAP) has taken up the mantle to address this issue by supporting economic analysis of policies affecting Africa’s agri-food systems. By empowering African researchers and promoting stronger collaboration between researchers and policymakers, PANAP strives to improve the effectiveness of policy implementation.

The Strengthening Evidence-Based Policy Practice for Sustainable Food Systems (StEPPFoS) project is an initiative designed to align PANAP’s efforts with those of the Food and Nutrition Security and Sustainable Agriculture (FNSSA) sector. By doing so, it aims to bridge the gap between policy and practice in a way that addresses Africa’s unique agricultural and nutritional challenges. StEPPFoS adopts a comprehensive approach that leverages PANAP’s research and economic analysis capacity, alongside FNSSA’s agenda, creating a model for addressing food system sustainability and nutrition security challenges.

Project Description:

Food and nutrition security, coupled with sustainable agriculture, are critical development priorities for Africa. They receive heightened attention from both national governments and international bodies, including the African Union-European Union (AU-EU) partnership. Recognizing the importance of these priorities, FNSSA has been identified as a key area for development under the AU-EU High-Level Policy Dialogue on Science, Technology, and Innovation. The StEPPFoS project seeks to bolster existing efforts through a well-structured partnership between Europe and Africa. The project will be executed over 48 months, employing eight distinct work packages that center around capacity building, stakeholder engagement, and participatory monitoring, evaluation, and learning. Key methodologies, such as open science and effective data management, will guide these efforts. The consortium, which draws expertise from leading academic, research, and policy institutions in Europe and Africa, is well-positioned to achieve the project’s ambitious goals.

Project Goal:

StEPPFoS aims to enhance coherence and alignment between PANAP and FNSSA to reduce the fragmentation of policy initiatives within the agri-food sector at both national and regional levels.

Project Duration:

January 2024 – December 2027

Project Objectives

  • Enhance capacities across various sectors and institutions involved in evidence-based policy analysis for supporting food security and sustainable agriculture, including research, academia, public sector, private sector, and civil society stakeholders.
  • Strengthen the interface between science and policy to facilitate science-based decision-making processes, particularly in shaping agro-policy and promoting inclusive transformation of national agrifood systems in Africa.
  • Improve strategies for integrating scientific support into policy development processes in Africa and Europe, leveraging digital technologies and information systems to expedite the translation of research findings into actionable policies.
  • Expand and reinforce the PANAP Network’s capabilities to provide support for African countries in conducting economic policy analysis related to food systems, with a focus on facilitating their transition towards sustainability.

Project Expected Outcomes

  • Enhanced collaboration between the FNSSA Research and Innovation Partnership and the Pan-African Network for Economic Analysis of Policies (PANAP) within EU-AU cooperation aims to bolster the implementation of the FNSSA’s 10-year roadmap and advance the global shift toward sustainable food systems
  • Provide opportunities for exchange in sustainable agricultural and food system policy development and related studies between EU and AU in the context of the EU-AU FNSSA Research and Innovation Partnership and in the framework of PANAP.
  • Support African agricultural and food systems policy making process through enhanced cooperation in economic, social and environmental impact (including biodiversity) analysis of policy options for food systems, nutrition performance, agrifood trade, and development of rural areas.