Project empowering farming communities in Southern Africa

An innovative project involving researchers from The Australian National University (ANU) that is helping farming communities in Africa thrive has been recognised for its success. The "Transforming Irrigation in Southern Africa" project, established in 2013, has won a European Foundation for Management Development (EFMD) Excellence in Practice Gold Award. The project is a collaboration between ANU, The University of South Australia and a number of international partners. The team is now working with 15,000 farm businesses and 42 irrigation farming communities across three countries. Their work includes introducing rice mills, storage facilities and equipment. Professor Jamie Pittock from ANU said it's "an honour to collaborate with so many wonderful people and organisations to empower farmers to improve their livelihood and food security." "We believe this project has significant impact for a more equitable and sustainable world," Professor Pittock said. The project promoted learning and development in sub-Saharan Africa, where approximately 80 per cent of food is produced by small farm businesses.