Turning Fermentation into Impact: From Culture to Scale
At the Africa Food Systems Forum 2026 in Kigali, under the theme “Investing in Africa’s Agri-Food Systems,” Sight and Life convened a powerful side event — Fermentation: From Evidence to Scaling — bringing together government, philanthropy, industry, and civil society to chart a path for one of Africa’s oldest food technologies.
H.E. Demeke Mekonnen Hassen, former Deputy Prime Minister of Ethiopia and Founder/Board Chair of the YADAM Foundation, anchored the discussion in policy and implementation realities. His message was clear: fermented foods like injera, tella, and kocho are not a “traditional foods footnote” to be revived — they already feed millions, and the real task is scaling the systems around them: food safety standards, regulation, and investment, with women producers — the traditional custodians of this knowledge — placed firmly at the center.
The event was further strengthened by the presence of H.E. Aurelie Royet-Gounin, French Ambassador to Rwanda, and H.E. Senator Abubakar Kyari, Nigeria’s Minister of Agriculture, underscoring the cross-continental momentum behind this agenda.
In a landmark step, YADAM Foundation and Sight and Life signed a Memorandum of Understanding to champion and scale fermentation for nutrition impact — standardizing indigenous knowledge while building credible, investable pathways from evidence to policy to scale.
From culture to science to capital — fermentation’s moment has arrived.
#AFSF2026 #FoodSystems #Fermentation #Nutrition #Kigali #YADAMFoundation #SightAndLife
