Stakeholders Engagement Plan - Strengthening Evidence-Based Policy Practice for Sustainable Food Systems under the EU–AU Partnership
Date
2026
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
FARA
Abstract
The Stakeholders Engagement Plan presents the stakeholder engagement framework developed under the StEPPFoS project to strengthen collaboration among policymakers, researchers, practitioners, donor organizations, and food systems actors involved in sustainable food systems transformation in Africa and Europe.
The report outlines participatory engagement mechanisms, communication strategies, collaborative platforms, policy dialogues, and knowledge-sharing activities designed to enhance evidence-based policymaking and strengthen the science-policy interface. It details stakeholder engagement approaches across multiple work packages, including participatory workshops, webinars, knowledge exchange forums, donor roundtables, virtual collaboration platforms, monitoring and learning frameworks, and policy dialogue mechanisms. The plan aims to foster continuous interaction, co-creation, capacity strengthening, and knowledge dissemination among PANAP members, FNSSA partners, and broader agricultural research-for-development stakeholders.
Description
This deliverable report forms part of the StEPPFoS initiative funded under the European Union Horizon Europe Research and Innovation Programme (Grant Agreement No. 101136770). The publication provides a structured roadmap for stakeholder engagement and collaborative implementation throughout the project lifecycle.
Key components include:
Identification and categorization of stakeholder groups across Africa and Europe
Development of participatory engagement methodologies
Strategies for strengthening the science-policy interface (SPI)
Design of Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL) frameworks
Establishment of: Virtual collaboration platforms, Knowledge-sharing systems, Policy dialogue forums, Donor engagement mechanisms
Capacity strengthening for PANAP and FNSSA stakeholders
Knowledge co-creation and dissemination strategies
Engagement continuity mechanisms through workshops, webinars, online communities, and feedback systems
Support for evidence-based policy dialogue and collaborative food systems governance
The report documents stakeholder engagement activities under Work Packages 3–6, including participatory workshops, knowledge exchange forums, virtual onboarding sessions, policy implementation living labs, donor roundtables, and collaborative dissemination platforms such as Dgroups, LinkedIn, and Network4CollabNet.
The publication is intended for policymakers, researchers, regional organizations, donor agencies, civil society actors, development practitioners, and agricultural innovation stakeholders seeking to strengthen collaborative governance and evidence-based policymaking for sustainable food systems.
Keywords
StEPPFoS, Stakeholder engagement, PANAP, FNSSA, Evidence-based policymaking, Science-policy interface, Knowledge management, Food systems, Participatory approaches, Policy dialogue, Capacity development, Agricultural innovation systems
Citation
Yeboah, E., Antwi, K., Quaye, W., Onumah, J., Mahama, A., Yalew, A. W., Diallo, S. S., & Urban-Boysen, K. (2026). Stakeholders engagement plan (StEPPFoS Deliverable Report D1.3; FDN #56). StEPPFoS Consortium / Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA).