Centre of Dynamic Empowerment
Sustainable agriculture, made real.
We help universities, communities and partners across Southern Africa grow more food, use water and energy wisely, adapt to a changing climate and earn more.
What is often missing is not knowledge, but collaboration, funding and the capacity to turn research into results on the ground.
The challenge
Five problems, tied together.
In 2024, after the El Niño drought, SADC declared a regional disaster as harvests failed across several member states. The causes cut across disciplines, so the solutions must too.
Hunger and rural poverty
Low yields, post-harvest losses, weak market access and few jobs for young people.
SDG 1, 2
Water scarcity and quality
Rain-fed farming, collapsed irrigation schemes, untested or polluted water and poor sanitation.
SDG 6
Energy poverty
Low rural grid access, load-shedding, and costly diesel for pumping and cooling.
SDG 7
Climate change and degraded land
Droughts, floods, erratic seasons, depleted soils and deforestation.
SDG 13
Capacity and funding gaps
Research that stays on campus, and institutions struggling to win and manage large grants.
SDG 17
The CODE Way
Our name is our method.
We walk with institutions through four stages, from first conversation to lasting results.
Connect
Bring partners together
Bring universities, communities, industry and funders to one table, around a shared sustainable agriculture challenge.
Organise
Agree roles and MOUs
Help partners agree roles, sign memoranda of understanding and set up joint governance.
Develop
Build skills and bids
Build the skills and the bids: grant writing, project design, budgets and monitoring frameworks.
Empower
Deliver on the ground
Support delivery on the ground, with technical expertise, demonstration sites and community engagement, until partners can run it themselves.
The Sustainable Agriculture Nexus
Every harvest depends on more than farming.
Food security cannot be won by growing more food alone. It depends on water, energy and a stable climate, held together by partnership.
- FoodSafe, nutritious and resilient food systems: climate-smart crops, agroforestry, livestock health, bees and fish.
- WaterClean water, efficient use and resource recovery: rainwater harvesting, irrigation, safe reuse and quality testing.
- EnergyRenewable energy and circular resources: solar pumping, cooling and processing, composting and biogas.
- ClimateResilient systems, lower emissions and stronger ecosystems: soil restoration, woodlots and climate-resilient farming.
The ripple of impact
Impact starts locally and spreads regionally.
Each partner university becomes a local anchor, turning shared research into demonstration farms, trained farmers and new enterprises in its own community.
- Universities
- More successful grant applications, stronger research output, practical teaching sites and new income streams.
- Communities
- More food grown and stored, safer water, affordable solar power, new income from bees, fish and trees, and jobs for young people.
- Region
- Shared evidence on what works, restored land and forests, skills that stay local, and a network ready to respond to the next drought together.
Flagship initiative
Regional Universities Partnership for Sustainable Agriculture
Regional universities that research, apply and deliver together will win more funding for sustainable agriculture and change more lives than any of them could alone.
Starting in Zimbabwe, Eswatini and South Africa.
Strategic alignment
Contributing to the Sustainable Development Goals.
SDG 1: No Poverty
New income from farm enterprises, bees, fish and trees; jobs for young people.
SDG 2: Zero Hunger
Higher productivity, reduced post-harvest losses and climate-smart production.
SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation
Rainwater harvesting, safe water reuse, water quality and sanitation.
SDG 7: Affordable and Clean Energy
Solar-powered irrigation, cooling and processing; biogas.
SDG 13: Climate Action
Agroforestry, soil restoration and climate-resilient farming systems.
SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals
Multi-stakeholder university consortia, shared resources and co-financing.
The partnership also supports SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production) and SDG 15 (Life on Land), and aligns with the African Union’s Agenda 2063, CAADP and SADC’s Regional Indicative Strategic Development Plan.
Pathway to partnership
From first conversation to funded delivery.
Step 1
Stakeholder presentation
CODE presents the concept in person to university leadership, research offices and agriculture faculties.
Step 2
Memorandum of understanding
Interested institutions and CODE sign an MOU setting out shared goals, roles and ways of working.
Step 3
Grant application and management training
Workshops for research teams on finding calls, writing winning proposals and managing funded projects.
Step 4
First joint grant application
CODE co-develops a consortium bid on a priority sustainable agriculture challenge.
Step 5
Project management and delivery support
Once funded, CODE supports implementation, technical delivery and reporting.
Take the first step with us.
Sustainable agriculture will not be achieved by any one institution or discipline alone. Let’s meet to explore how your institution can lead and benefit from a regional partnership.