In an age defined by climate volatility, geopolitical fragmentation, economic inequality and nutritional transition, food systems sit at the centre of global stability. Yet they are increasingly exposed to systemic shocks. This lecture explores how science, governance and ethical stewardship must converge to secure resilient and equitable food systems. Drawing on global research networks, policy platforms and corporate governance experience, the lecture will examine the limits of technocratic solutions and argue that sustainable transformation requires moral imagination as much as scientific innovation.
Prof Dr. Lindiwe Majele Sibanda is a global leader at the critical intersection of agriculture, climate, and sustainable food systems policy. Until mid-2025 she chaired the Integrated Partnership Board of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR), steering the world’s largest publicly funded agricultural research network.
A dedicated food systems champion, Prof Sibanda is an innovator, pioneering practical tools such as Theatre for Policy Advocacy. She is best known for spearheading the 2009 “No Agriculture, No Deal” campaign that catalysed agriculture’s formal inclusion in UN climate negotiations. Her robust scholarly contributions include work on the landmark EAT-Lancet Commission report, alongside mentoring the next generation of practitioners.
She currently serves as Co-Chair of the Food Planet Prize; holds an Extra-ordinary Professorship at the University of Pretoria; serves as a Board Member at Nestlé; sits on the Geneva Science and Diplomacy Anticipator (GESDA) Board; and chairs the Council of the National University of Science and Technology in Zimbabwe.
About ASSAf Distinguished Visiting Scholars: STIAS has partnered with ASSAf to host an annual public lecture as part of the Academy’s Distinguished Visiting Scholar Programme according to which the Academy invites one or more distinguished scholars to present a lecture at various higher education institutions around the country. The scholars are internationally prominent academics with the ability to engage beyond discipline divides.