South Africa’s Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and the UK’s Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquatic Science (CEFAS) – an executive agency of the UK Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) – are currently hosting a ‘OneFood’ workshop, at the Kwalata Game Lodge, north of Pretoria. The workshop started on Monday and ends on Wednesday.

“The CSIR plays a key role in touching people’s lives in collaboration with strategic partners to catalyse a new system-thinking across affected sectors for the benefit of the food system, as well as the agricultural sector,” affirmed the Council in its media release. “The CSIR will contribute towards driving socioeconomic transformation through research, development and innovation that supports the development of a capable state and build and transform human capital and infrastructure.”

The OneFood workshop is focused on situating the profiling and management of hazards in the centre of the design of food systems that are economically, environmentally and socially sustainable. The workshop highlights the importance of identifying and controlling hazards in food systems, in order to create a ‘One Health’ situation by ensuring that food is safer and the environment is better.

The workshop is examining how to deal with both biological and chemical hazards to food systems. Biological hazards include pests, chemical hazards include pollution. “The hazards increase their impact on natural resources per unit of food that is produced, which threatens food safety,” observed the CSIR.

The workshop is being funded by DEFRA through its agency, the Global Centre on Biodiversity for Climate. Representatives of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation, the South African Department of Science and Innovation, the South African Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development, the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, as well as CEFAS and the CSIR Chemistry and Life Sciences division, are attending.