African Agrifood Leaders Embark on Transformative Study Visit to Ireland through FAO’s HASTEN Initiative

DUBLIN, IRELAND – Twenty-two emerging agrifood leaders from Lesotho, Rwanda and Sierra Leone have just completed a transformative study visit to Ireland in the framework of the FAO HASTEN initiative —Harnessing SDG-based Agrifood System Transformation through the Empowerment of the Next-Generation of Agrifood Leadership in Africa. The study visit, held from 28 April to 3 May, marks a key milestone in the project’s mission to accelerate youth-driven agrifood transformation across the continent.

Hosted by Sustainable Food Systems Ireland (SFSI) - a consortium of five Irish Government organisations, led by the Irish Ministry of Agriculture, Food and the Marine - the study visit immersed participants in Ireland’s dynamic agrifood ecosystem, offering insights into coordinated institutions, inclusive governance, public-private-academic collaboration and transdisciplinary research and innovation, that have defined Ireland’s strategic food systems planning.

“This visit is not just a learning journey—it’s a launchpad for transformation,” said Stefanos Fotiou, FAO Director of the Office of Sustainable Development Goals, which is leading the HASTEN project. “We are cultivating future leaders who will return home equipped with new mindsets, competencies and the systems thinking required to drive impactful change aligned with the SDGs.”

Throughout the week participants engaged with a broad range of leading Irish institutions, including the Department of Agriculture, Food and Marine, Teagasc (Irish Agriculture and Food Development Authority), Bord Bia (Irish Food Board) Enterprise Ireland and University College Dublin. They also visited individual farms showcasing diverse production models—including regenerative, climate-smart and technology-forward farming. These visits provided insights into nature-based agriculture, on-farm diversification and other efforts to promote sustainable land use, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and enhance biodiversity. Participants were also introduced to agricultural extension support services designed to help farmers adopt and scale these innovative practices.

Central to the study visit agenda was understanding how coordinated governance, integrated policies and transdisciplinary approaches to change, have propelled Ireland’s agrifood success —something deeply resonant with participants confronting limited resources and siloed interventions.

“The study visit made me realize that the Ministry of Agriculture alone cannot build a resilient food system. We need a national strategy that aligns all actors to achieve a shared goal”, said Maleloko Molefi, Deputy Principal Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security and National Food Systems Convener of Lesotho.

“For me, the key takeaway is the power of public-private-academic partnerships. In Sierra Leone, actors still work in silos. But here, I saw how this model mobilizes innovation, bridges knowledge gaps and drives inclusive growth”, said Franklyn Belmoh, Programme Officer at Sierra Leone’s Scaling Up Nutrition and Food Systems Coordination Unit, hosted in the Office of the Vice President. “I’m inspired to replicate this by bringing together government, private sector, and academia to align around a shared vision for sustainable transformation”.

The visit also spotlighted innovative green and sustainable agripreneurship models particularly among youth and women, which sparked new thinking among participants. For Sierra Leonean entrepreneur Adja Fatou Diop Ndiay the exposure to peer-led networks was a game-changer:

“I’m taking home the idea of building a youth agripreneurs’ community—peer-to-peer support, positive pressure, and shared visibility are powerful. We need to show young Africans that success in agriculture is possible right here at home”, she shared.

The study visit furthermore underscored the importance of integrating education, research and community engagement for agrifood systems transformation, as participants explored Ireland’s approach to embedding scientific research within farming communities with strong links between universities, research institutes, advisory services and rural communities.

“This visit affirmed that science, education and community engagement must go hand-in-hand if we are to transform food systems”, said Lisa Berwa, Lecturer and Community Extension Educator at the Rwanda Institute for Conservation Agriculture.

The study tour concluded with participants initiating individual and country-level action plans, tailored to local realities, but rooted in lessons from Ireland—focusing on improved coordination and inclusive engagement, youth and women’s empowerment and transdisciplinary approaches.

FAO will continue to support these future leaders through peer learning networks and national workshops in each of the three countries. These follow-up events will focus on building SME support ecosystems, developing stakeholder engagement strategies, and translating the study visit experience into concrete, country-led initiatives. A regional lecture series in the second half of 2025 will further reinforce learnings in multistakeholder governance, systems transformation, and policy integration.

“The study visit offered a practical and immersive demonstration of the core principles that HASTEN is designed to advance—transdisciplinary systems thinking, inclusive governance and the development of an eco-system of support for sustainable agrifood systems and agripreneurship”, said Hajnalka Petrics, Lead Technical Officer for the HASTEN Project. “It provided participants not only with technical knowledge, but with the confidence, networks and vision needed to drive this at home”.

About HASTEN

The FAO HASTEN Project aims to foster and generate transformational changes in people, processes and markets by strengthening capacities among the next generation of leaders in sustainable agrifood systems transformations in Africa.

Operating in Lesotho, Rwanda, and Sierra Leone,  it encourages a move from incremental to transformative change by nurturing transdisciplinary systems thinking; developing capacities to analyse SDG interlinkages and identify synergies and trade-offs to make multiple impacts; promoting formal changes and new mindsets and competencies for the creation of effective, inclusive and accountable institutions; and enhancing the private sector’s contribution to the achievement of the SDGs through innovative business practices.

HASTEN is a subprogramme of the FAO Flexible Voluntary Contribution (FVC), which enables strategic investments in priority areas of the FAO Strategic Framework.

Driven by partnerships with national governments, international investors, academia, research institutes, and youth entrepreneurs, HASTEN aims to enhance agrifood systems' governance and functionality, ultimately promoting efficient and equitable national food systems in the participating countries.