What if the future of Africa isn't hidden beneath the ground—but growing from it?

In this special episode that is part 1 of a series in partnership with Australian High Commission Kenya, Lilly Bekele-Piper sits down with one of the world's foremost voices on agriculture and food systems, Dr. Agnes Kalibata. From transforming Rwanda's agricultural sector to leading the UN Food Systems Summit, Dr. Kalibata has spent decades helping shape how the world thinks about food, farming, and the future of our planet.

Together, they explore why food systems are about much more than farming - and why Africa has an opportunity to lead the world in building a future that is more resilient, productive, and sustainable. In this episode, we discuss:

🌾 Why food systems matter more than food security alone

🌍 Africa's extraordinary agricultural opportunity—and what's holding it back

🚜 How farmers, not policies, should be at the center of agricultural transformation

🌱 Balancing productivity, climate resilience, and sustainability

💡 The innovations giving Dr. Kalibata hope for the future

Throughout the conversation, Dr. Kalibata challenges long-held assumptions about African agriculture and reminds us that the continent's greatest asset isn't simply its land, it's its people, its farmers, and its capacity to innovate.

Whether you work in agriculture, climate, policy, business, or simply care about where your food comes from, this conversation offers a compelling vision for what Africa's future could look like when food systems are designed around people, opportunity, and resilience.

This episode is part of Living with the Land, a special series from Selam & Hello in partnership with the Australian High Commission in Kenya, exploring the people and ideas shaping the future of agriculture across Africa.

About Dr. Agnes Kalibata

Dr. Agnes Kalibata is an agricultural scientist and globally recognized food systems leader. She is the Founder and Chair of C4Impact Advisory Group (https://connect4impactadvisory.com/), former President of AGRA, Rwanda's former Minister of Agriculture and Animal Resources, and served as the United Nations Secretary-General's Special Envoy for the 2021 Food Systems Summit. Her work has helped improve food security and livelihoods for millions of farming households across Africa.

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Music Credits: Selam & Hello Jingle by Silas Piper

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