KESHIA HOAEANE

governance, and policy. Her research adopts a transversal governance approach and investigates food governance in the Western Cape where the provincial government designed a food security strategy: Nourish to Flourish (N2F). Her research is in collaboration with the Policy, Strategy and Research Unit, Department of the Premier in the Western Cape Government. The aim of the research is firstly to investigate how place-based approaches at the municipal level could be used and help to improve food governance. Secondly, to develop an area-based governance model that facilitates coordinated action in response to food systems’ change, which is central to reaching the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

With her research team in the Policy and Governance programme of the CoE-FS, Keshia has contributed to the development of the Western Cape Food Governance Community of Practice, which has resulted in a multi-stakeholder dialogue platform named Food Imbizo. Foodimbizo.org

How is it impacting your community?

Food Security

Alumna and researcher at NRF-DSI Centre of Excellence in Food Security (CoE-FS) at the University of the Western Cape.

Keshia obtained her Bachelor of Public Administration (Honours) and Master of Public Administration with the School of Government at the UWC. In November 2022, she was selected and part of the first ever Makerere University and Bergen Research School (MBRS) in Uganda and graduated from the programme (Food and Water Security in a changing World).

What is/was your work about?

Keshia’s PhD in the Centre of Excellence in Food Security (CoE) focuses on food systems,

She is also involved in the Western Cape Economic Development Partnership’s activities related to the Whole of Society approach, central to her PhD research. She recently provided support to the multi-stakeholder consultations organised for the rapid food system assessment of South Africa launched by the FAO and the European Union in direct coordination with the government.

She has worked on joint projects with local and provincial governments in two places: Langa in Cape Town, and Worcester in the Breede Valley. Keshia discussed options for local approaches to improve households’ food and nutrition with NGOs, grassroots organisations working within the food system, including practitioners focused on Early Childhood Development centres and advocacy groups. https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=1UEbFTXOPUA

Action-research is central to the transformation of local governance and helps to generate knowledge to inform practices and to study governance practices to expand and deepen knowledge in local food governance. It unites stakeholders to improve public policies, better legislation, and investment in infrastructure and programmes to accelerate food system transitions to sustainability and resilience in the long term.

She believes the starting point to development should be the people and that the essence of development is changing the quality of life of the bottom half of the population. All these experiences in her research were formative in shaping her view of the food system as well as her philosophy towards education and it has shaped her PhD journey.