Reflections from Dar es Salaam: Hatching Hope and partners join the Poultry Futures Forum
The region of Southern Africa is home to a young, fast-growing population, one that’s expected to double from 2050 compared to 2017. Yet according to the Food Action Alliance, 20% of that population are undernourished.
Poultry market systems can contribute to helping solve that equation, if participants in those systems can count on better access to feed inputs, support for animal health and other forms of technical assistance, and an enabling policy environment.
Igniting the power of poultry and collaborating to solve those challenges were the goals of the Poultry Futures Forum that took place in October in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
More than 300 attendees from 23 countries attended the event, which was organized by the Food Action Alliance and partners across Southern Africa’s poultry sector as part of the Southern Africa Poultry Initiative.
The event brought together stakeholders in the region’s poultry sector to build a common understanding of challenges, explore pathways forward, share a vision for regional collaboration, facilitate public-private dialogue, and showcase leading-edge initiatives taking place within the countries of the Southern African Development Community.
From left: Alex Stewart, Food Action Alliance; Mannie Taljaard and Jaco Britz, Cargill; Cara Hayes and Aysha Mohammed, TechnoServe.
Sharing solutions and catalyzing new ideas
With its focus on using market-based approaches to impact livelihoods, nutrition and well-being through poultry, Hatching Hope was one of those high-impact initiatives featured at the forum. And several Hatching Hope partners and stakeholders attended, including Heifer International, TechnoServe, One Acre Fund, GAIN, Partners in Food Solutions and Cargill.
Karl Zayat works for Tupande by One Acre Fund, a service that offers products and support to Kenyan farmers.
“Attending the Poultry Futures Forum has been an incredible opportunity to connect with inspiring leaders and learn more about the latest innovations driving the industry forward,” Zayat said. “The exchange of ideas and insights from other impactful initiatives has not only broadened my perspective but also reinforced the potential for growth and scale within our own program at One Acre Fund.”
Mannie Taljaard, assistant commercial director for Cargill’s animal nutrition business in Africa, called out that, “A special focus was placed on sustainability from farm to fork, upscaling opportunities of small-scale producers and the youth of today, that will be the leaders of tomorrow!”
Jaco Britz, Strategic Marketing and PMO Lead for Cargill Animal Nutrition in the Middle East & Africa, spoke at the event on the topic of how sustainable feed solutions function as an important part of the equation for enabling poultry market systems.
Britz highlighted the need to use resources efficiently, reduce environmental impact and ensure long-term viability. He also discussed the benefits of sustainable feed production, including using locally produced sustainable soy and innovative feed ingredients like insect protein.
Reflecting on the excitement around the event and several opportunities identified for next steps, Britz said: “Now the work begins. Let’s dare to disrupt and drive the poultry industry in Southern Africa to new heights!”
