Kampala, Uganda – March 2025
From March 17 to 21, 2025, a delegation from the Foresight for Food Systems Transformation (FoSTr) programme visited Uganda to support national efforts in shaping resilient and adaptive food systems. The Foresight4Food FoSTr team focused on translating foresight work into tangible policy outcomes for Uganda’s food system.
The visit marked a pivotal phase in the Foresight4Food framework—mobilizing for system change—and centered around five key goals: enhancing policy engagement, co-creating an action agenda, building local foresight capacity, and exploring future collaboration.
Over the week, the Foresight4Food FoSTr team met with strategic government bodies, including the Ministries of Agriculture and Environment, the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM), the National Planning Authority (NPA), and the Dutch Embassy. Discussions emphasized how foresight can strengthen Uganda’s food system action planning, particularly in areas like food loss, waste reduction, and climate resilience.
A highlight of the visit was a multi-stakeholder workshop, attended by 40 participants from government, civil society, research, and the private sector. Using tools like scenario analysis, aspiration mapping, and backcasting, participants assessed Uganda’s food system futures, stress-tested policy objectives, and outlined steps toward transformational change. The workshop underscored the importance of adaptive strategies, smallholder support, and the need to shift entrenched mental models.
Participants collaboratively developed Theories of Change and engaged in hands-on strategy planning under challenging future scenarios—ensuring policy robustness across uncertainties. The day concluded with personal commitments to drive forward the food system transformation agenda.
In parallel, the research team received training in foresight facilitation, boosting local capacity for sustained engagement beyond the FoSTr programme.
Looking Ahead
For the Foresight4Food FoSTr team, the next steps include:
- Supporting NPA and OPM in finalizing a national food system transformation action plan.
- Publishing thematic policy briefs on food loss and waste, climate resilience, and nutrition.
- Strengthening Uganda’s foresight community through potential training programs.
- Integrating foresight into broader research and policy ecosystems in Uganda.
The visit reaffirmed Uganda’s leadership in foresight-driven planning and set the stage for continued collaboration toward resilient and inclusive food systems.