Empowering Youth and Farmers, Building Secure and Resilient Food Regions in Africa
We’ve just returned from VIV Africa 2026 in Kigali, Rwanda, and ‘breathtaking’ is the only word for it. We met so many ambitious, values-driven people committed to making African agriculture work for all. Rwanda showed us Africa’s full potential to lead in agriculture, and the business opportunities it holds.
Cities Leading Food Production took part in the Leadership Conference, presenting ‘Empowering Youth and Farmers, Building Secure and Resilient Food Regions’ to more than 45 senior industry leaders. Through practical cases, Prof Fadel Ndiame, Asgeir Oskarsson and I showed how Common Source:
🌱 empowers smallholder farmer networks to prototype rapidly and turn evidence into action along a Sub-Saharan food chain
🤝 builds Living Labs, a learning ecosystem that bridges Africa, the Middle East and Europe
💻 deploys ready-to-use digital infrastructure that strengthens trusted networks and secures impact through full value-chain collaboration, from farm to fork and fork to farm
Our mantra: analyse what already exists, connect and empower what works, and develop together what is missing.
Our invitation did not go unnoticed. We formed new partnerships, solidified commitments, and heard from many partners who want to join the ride. Scaling emerging opportunities and connecting with agribusiness by de-risking investments is fundamental to transforming Africa’s food system. Let’s keep building together.
We are truly thankful to Jeroen van Hooff, CEO of Royal Jaarbeurs, Natasha Hall and Natalie Taylor of VIV Worldwide, Noud Janssen of HubOrange! and Albert Hoekerswever for enabling this opportunity and we are looking forward to the rest of our journey together.
Supporting links for inspiration:
The European Resilient Food Systems Framework provides a practical roadmap toward regional food security.
Our Cities Leading Food Production Magazine showcases emerging opportunities.
