Advancing Food Systems with Evidence

Earlier this month, IDinsight joined over 6,000 leaders from across the continent at the Africa Food Systems Forum 2025 in Dakar, dedicated to driving sustainable and resilient food systems for Africa and beyond.

This year’s forum, themed “Africa’s Youth: Leading Collaboration, Innovation and Implementation of Agri-Food Systems Transformation,” set the stage for youth-driven engagement and collaboration. Throughout the event, participants exchanged ideas on how digitalisation, artificial intelligence, private sector partnerships, innovations, and evidence-based approaches can reshape food systems to better serve diverse communities. IDinsight brought a data-driven perspective to the table – highlighting how data and evidence for social impact can be applied in the context of food systems.

When we speak about evidence, we mean tools and approaches ranging from impact evaluations to process evaluations, monitoring systems, and dashboards designed to respond to the specific needs of policy makers and program managers. These methods ensure that decisions in the food systems space are rooted in data that reflects the realities of the entire ecosystem of actors, from smallholder farmers to agri-processors.

IDinsight voices in plenary sessions

Two of our leaders took center stage during the forum’s plenaries. 

Fatim Haby Mariko joined the “Digitalisation & AI for Next Gen” session, tackling the big question: what funding strategies truly enable youth-led digital agriculture to scale sustainably? Drawing on IDinsight’s research and sector-wide evidence, Fatim offered her perspective: transformation for smallholder farmers comes from hybrid, “phy-gital” models that merge technology with hands-on support, and from funding approaches that intentionally target both innovation and inclusion.

She emphasized that traditional finance models often leave young agripreneurs behind, with 75% of agri-SMEs unable to access the resources they need to thrive. She called for more blended finance approaches, combining grants, subsidies, and adaptive microfinance, alongside strategic investment in “phygital” delivery and business models that serve the last mile.

“Empowering the next generation of African agripreneurs means moving beyond digital hype: it’s about connecting funding with real solutions that reach every farmer and prioritizing women and youth as both innovators and beneficiaries,” Fatim stated. “The best results come when we combine the power of technology with on-the-ground support. When women are centered, and models are adapted to local realities, adoption and impact skyrocket.”

– Fatim Haby Mariko, Senior Manager, IDinsight

During the Private Sector Engagement session, Dr. Sylvia Mwamba, Associate Director and Zambia Country Lead at IDinsight, challenged delegates to rethink how Africa’s private sector can nurture youth-led agri-food innovation. Drawing from her policy and research experience, Sylvia highlighted that the continent’s challenge is less about launching new programs and more about connecting the right people, evidence, and opportunities. She emphasized the private sector’s unique role in breaking down silos, fostering integrated partnerships, and leveraging digital platforms to match talent with real-world opportunities. 

“The next breakthrough in Africa’s agri-food sector won’t come from another siloed program,it will come when the private sector helps integrate evidence, technology, and youth energy into one powerful ecosystem.”

– Dr. Sylvia Mwamba, Associate Director and Zambia Country Lead, IDinsight

Side event: Using evidence to advance food systems

Beyond the plenary sessions, IDinsight convened a side event, “Using Evidence to Advance Food Systems,” moderated by Samer Elchahabi, Regional Director for West and North Africa. 

This session centered on a fundamental challenge: while food systems in Africa involve a complex web of actors and sectors, designing effective and inclusive interventions hinges on access to high-quality evidence. Yet persistent data gaps continue to hinder progress toward sustainable transformation across the continent.

With more than 1.5 Billion people across Africa and abundant arable land, the continent’s food future depends increasingly on leveraging emerging demand for robust data and evidence to tackle the agricultural challenges of the coming decades.

Our panel brought together leading voices from across the agri-tech and development landscape including:

• Aminata Sougou, Chief of Staff at myAgro, a social enterprise empowering West African smallholder farmers through climate-smart solutions; 
• Mouhamadou Lamine Kebe, co-founder and CEO of Tolbi, an ag-tech innovator harnessing AI and satellite data to revolutionize farming from Senegal to Tanzania; 
• Lorraine d’Anglejan, Associate Director for West and North Africa at IDinsight, and 
• Sylvia Mwamba, IDinsight’s Zambia Country Lead and Associate Director.

On evidence gaps, panelists emphasized the importance of better data to guide farmer decisions and improve program design. 

“We learn through testing and operations, seeing the evidence of trials in order to learn and trust what we are doing… you need both qualitative and quantitative data to make sure you’re learning what matters to the farmer.”

– Aminata Sougou, Chief of Staff, myAgro

“We want to give information and insights to farmers for each period during the season so they can apply the right amount of fertilizer at the right time. You need data for that but it doesn’t exist.”

– Mouhamadou Lamine Kebe, co-founder and CEO of Tolbi

Lorraine d’Anglejan described “three levels of data gaps: generation, quality, and accessibility,” emphasizing that robust information systems are foundational for real impact.

One of the event’s most powerful stories came from the impact of data and evidence on the AgResults program in Senegal. “During three years of monitoring, IDinsight demonstrated that impact on smallholder farmers was unlikely to be achieved by the end of the Senegal project,” Lorraine shared. “AgResults reoriented $4.5 million from the unsuccessful crop finance intervention in Senegal to more promising initiatives.” This practical example demonstrated how rigorous data prevents resources from being wasted.

In conclusion, Sylvia Mwamba emphasized the importance of building monitoring and evaluation into program design: “It’s not enough to set up a program and leave it to run. Without funding for strong M&E systems, after a few years, you may not see the results you expected. That’s where process evaluations can help us understand whether a program is working as designed.”

Looking ahead

Throughout the forum, a recurring message was clear: Africa’s food system innovation is inseparable from evidence, inclusion, and partnership.

IDinsight extends heartfelt thanks to our panelists, who shared their time and expertise to enrich the dialogue, as well as to the forum organizers and session leaders whose vision continues to shape conversations on African agriculture. The energy and commitment of all participants at this year’s Africa Food Systems Forum inspire hope for a brighter future for agri-food systems across the continent, and underscore the importance of dialogue and collaboration.
For IDinsight, the Africa Food Systems forum is an opportunity to turn evidence into action. Going forward, we remain committed to collaborating with youth leaders, innovators, and partners across sectors to ensure Africa’s agri-food transformation is inclusive, data-driven, and impactful.

To learn more about our work or to continue this conversation, please explore our recent projects here and feel free to contact us—we look forward to deepening this vital dialogue together.