Title : My pot is empty: Transforming Africa’s food future through climate, culture, social research, and environmental integration
Abstract:
Across Africa, the empty pot stands as a powerful symbol of both deprivation and possibility. It reflects the lived realities of food insecurity, climate volatility, and social inequity, while inviting us to imagine new futures grounded in resilience and collective agency. This keynote uses the empty pot as an analytical and emotional lens to explore how climate change, cultural traditions, social structures, and environmental degradation intersect to shape agricultural systems and determine who eats, who decides, and who is left behind. The presentation advances an interdisciplinary framework that bridges climate science, indigenous and local knowledge, social research, and environmental stewardship. As climate change intensifies droughts, disrupts rainfall patterns, and destabilizes ecosystems, cultural norms and social hierarchies continue to influence adaptation, resource access, and gendered vulnerabilities. Approaches that treat these dimensions in isolation risk oversimplifying the complexity of African food systems. An integrated perspective instead recognizes agriculture as a dynamic social-ecological system whereas one requiring solutions rooted in scientific evidence, cultural meaning, and lived experience. By reframing the empty pot as a vessel of possibility, the keynote highlights transformative pathways: embedding gender and social equity into climate adaptation strategies; elevating cultural knowledge alongside technological innovation; strengthening community-driven governance; and safeguarding environmental integrity as the foundation of sustainable food systems. Drawing on examples from interdisciplinary collaborations across East Africa, the talk demonstrates how holistic approaches can generate insights that move beyond technical fixes toward inclusive, context-responsive, and ecologically grounded solutions. Ultimately, filling the empty pot is not merely about increasing production. It is about reimagining agriculture as a shared human endeavor with one that cultivates dignity, equity, and sustainability, and positions Africa’s food systems as engines of hope and transformation.
Keywords: Food Security; Climate Change Adaptation; Social-Ecological Systems; Indigenous And Local Knowledge; Gender and Social Equity; Environmental Stewardship; Sustainable Food Systems.
