Heifer International wants stronger partnerships for agricultural transformation
Heifer International says strengthened partnerships can help accelerate agricultural transformation and build stronger food systems on the African continent.
This was discussed at the 2025 Africa Food Systems Forum held from September 1 and 5 2025 in Dakar, Senegal, according to a statement made available to The Nation.
The statement stated that lasting change in African agriculture requires moving beyond fragmented, short-term interventions towards systems that bring farmers, governments, investors and the development sector together.
Part of the statement reads: “With stronger local partnerships and better designed support, smallholder farmers can increase their incomes, investors can find viable opportunities and countries can strengthen food security as their populations grow.”
Heifer International chief executive officer and president Surita Sandosham is quoted in the statement as having stressed that the future of African agriculture will be built on strong partnerships and funding that helps innovations move from ideas to scale.
“Philanthropic support is essential and by working alongside governments, cooperatives and the private sector, we can ensure that these funds go further in strengthening local food systems,” Sandosham is quoted in the statement.
Heifer International vice-president for Africa programmes Adesuwa Ifedi is also quoted in the statement as having said partnerships rooted in local realities create the trust and resilience needed for long-term growth.
She said: “Farmers must be treated as business partners, young innovators need opportunities to prove their models and finance must be structured in ways that share risk fairly.”
The statement further stated that during the forum, Heifer International emphasised how grants and philanthropic support remains key for Africa’s agricultural development.
“At the same time, when these funds are aligned with local realities and partnerships, they can cataylse innovation and crowd in additional investment. Flexible funding allows young enterprises to test their ideas in real farming conditions, prove their models and connect with markets,” further reads the statement.
