Part 1: Climate Change and its impact on Food Security in Africa: A Discussion with Enock Chikava from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation

In this episode, we discuss the impact of climate change on African food production with Enock Chikava, the Interim Director for the Agricultural Development Department at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Global Take Podcast Host, Alexanderia Haidara, spoke with Mr. Chikava on the heels of the 2022 Goalkeepers Summit that took place in New York City on September 20-21, 2022. In 2015, world leaders agreed to 17 Global Goals for Sustainable Development to achieve a better world by 2030. Started by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Goalkeepers is a catalyst for action toward these goals—bringing together leaders from around the world to make progress toward ending poverty and fighting inequality. Goalkeepers is dedicated to accelerating progress toward the Global Goals: using powerful stories, data, and partnerships to highlight progress achieved, and bring together a diverse range of leaders to address the world’s major challenges. Chikava highlighted the importance of building a robust agricultural economy in Africa, the demand for climate resistance seeds for food production, investing in women's agriculture businesses, and intra-Africa trade as the solution for Africa to become a breadbasket for the world.

About Enock Chikava

Enock Chikava leads the foundation’s work to reduce poverty for millions of farming families in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia by promoting inclusive agricultural innovations that drive productivity and income growth for smallholder farmers in a sustainable way. He joined the foundation in April 2015 as a senior program officer focusing on crop innovations. Enock trained in Agricultural Economics and Business Strategy, with 30-years’ experience in agriculture. His career spans from farmer organizations, private sector seed industry, agribusiness, food processing, and now philanthropy. Enock Chikava is a board member of the African Enterprise Challenge Fund (AECF) and former president of the African Seed Trade Association (AFSTA). He was raised on a smallholder farm in Zimbabwe in a family of eleven and has dedicated his life to working towards smallholder farmers' success as they use technology to raise productivity, incomes, nutrition, and economically empower themselves.

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Podcast Team

Alexanderia Haidara, Host and Podcast Producer

Cheryle Galloway-Podcast Op-Ed Writer

Sidney Walters-Podcast Social Media Coordinator

Oona Nelson-Podcast Editor

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