The crisis in Southern Africa, triggered by the climatic events of the 2001 and 2002 cropping seasons, has not surprisingly, prompted much reflection on the causes of the problem and appropriate policy responses. There is much relevant high quality research-based evidence and economic analysis on the rural economy in Southern Africa, but it is not being synthesised and fed into public policy processes for rural growth and poverty alleviation.

The purpose of the Forum for Food Security in Southern Africa, which has operated since 2003, is to provide a platform for improved linkages between food security analysis, policy making and implementation in the Southern Africa region. The outputs of country issues papers, regional theme papers, international electronic discussions and country policy seminars are intended to generate insights and policy options drawing on longitudinal research in the region and comparative international evidence that it is hoped will prove useful to stakeholders.

The Forum for Food Security in Southern Africa has provided a platform for all relevant stakeholders to discuss the medium to long term causes of the apparent increased vulnerability to food insecurity in Southern Africa, and to generate policy options to address this. It covers the region as a whole and five specific countries: Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Zambia and Zimbabwe. It has brought together those in government, official donors, NGOs, civil society, the private sector, and international and regional researchers concerned with food security.

View the relevant pages for more details on events and publications. The publications page includes a range of project summaries in powerpoint and Adobe pdf format.