LocationsInnovating at every step of the food supply chain
From farm to table
October 14, 2026
Every day, we choose what to eat, rarely stopping to think about everything that made that choice possible.
Behind a piece of fruit, a vegetable or a bag of flour lies a long chain of actions, knowledge and decisions. Long before food reaches a market, a shop or our plate, it has to be grown, harvested, processed, preserved, transported and sold.
At every step along the way, a different way of doing things can change what comes next.
That, too, is innovation: finding a new response to a very real need. It can come from technology, but also from knowledge and skills, new ways of working together, or simply using available resources differently.
These are all ways to “Innovate today. Nourish tomorrow,” the theme of World Food Day 2026. From The Gambia to Chad and on to South Africa, let’s see how this ambition is taking shape, from farm to market.
In The Gambia, cultivating a reason to stay
For Ebrima Fatty, it all began with a question many young people ask themselves: can you build a future in the place you grew up?
In rural areas of The Gambia, many young people have long left the land in search of opportunities they felt they could not find at home. Agriculture was associated with hard work and low incomes.
In Chamen, in the North Bank Region, one initiative is working to change that perception.
Established in 2015 by UNDP and The Gambia’s Ministry of Youth and Sports, Songhai Gambia combines climate-smart agriculture with entrepreneurship. Across 54 hectares, young people learn not only how to farm differently but also how to turn what they produce into a viable business.
Here, innovation takes practical forms: greenhouse farming, the more efficient use of water and reusing manure and crop waste within the production cycle.
In 2023, Ebrima completed his training and was one of the top students in his class. With financial support from UNDP, he returned to his home village of Jarra Jenoi and established Fatty Vegetable Farm.
His farm provides him with an income while also creating work for others in his community.
“I came to Songhai looking for direction. Today, I am in a position to provide direction to others. I now have the opportunity to create jobs for others and show them agriculture is a business,” Ebrima says.
Today, Ebrima grows vegetables in Jarra Jenoi. But he is also cultivating the possibility of making agriculture a choice for the future.
But producing food is only the beginning of the journey. Once the harvest is over, another challenge begins: how can what has been produced reach consumers without being lost along the way?
In The Gambia, farming innovation takes practical forms, with more efficient use of water and reusing manure and crop waste.
Photo: UNDP The Gambia
In Chad, the sun transforms a day’s work
In Abéché, eastern Chad, the sun has always shaped the working days of women who process and sell food.
For years, women’s groups dried meat, fish and tomatoes in the open air. Meat had to be hung on lines and left to dry for several days. During that time, food was exposed to dust, insects and animals. And when the rainy season came, drying became almost impossible.
Losses were frequent. Incomes uncertain.
“During the rainy season, the weather did not allow us to dry food regularly. Flies and dust were a real problem,” says Salma Mahamat Bouteigna, president of the Al Salama Association.
A year ago, the way they worked began to change.
Traditionally in Chad meat, fish and tomatoes were dried in the open air, exposing food to dust, insects and animals.
Photo: UNDP Chad
Women’s organizations in Abéché received solar-powered dryers as part of support linked to the African Continental Free Trade Area, with backing from UNDP and the African Development Bank. Food can now dry under cover, allowing the women to continue their activities throughout the year.
The principle is simple: harness the sun’s heat to dry food faster while protecting it from dust and insects. For meat, drying time can be reduced from two or three days to just 15 to 20 hours.
The time saved has changed how the women organize their work. They take turns using the equipment around the clock and can continue producing even during the rainy season.
“With this machine, our revenues have doubled. The meat is clean, keeps its natural colour and attracts more customers at the market,” Salma says.
Women’s organizations received solar-powered dryers as part of support linked to the African Continental Free Trade Area, with backing from UNDP and the African Development Bank.
Photo: UNDP Chad
Losses have fallen, product quality has improved and incomes have become more stable.
But innovation has also changed the way the women work together.
With tricycles at their disposal, they source supplies from the slaughterhouse, process their products and make deliveries collectively. In addition, wholesalers now come directly to them to purchase their products.
This shift has also strengthened ties among members of the association. “Working as a group strengthens our solidarity as women. We invest together and think about future projects,” Salma says.
Then the working day comes to an end. The women go home, but the food continues to dry, safely protected.
In Abéché, the sun has not disappeared from their daily lives. They have simply found a new way to make it an ally.
Solar powered food dryers have ensured that losses have fallen, product quality has improved and incomes have become more stable.
Photo: UNDP Chad
In South Africa, innovation moves behind the counter
On the streets of Tembisa, Junior Mashau moves from one small shop to another, a digital device in hand.
He steps into spaza shops, the small neighbourhood stores found across South African townships, where residents buy food and other everyday essentials. They are a vital link in the supply chain, connecting food directly with consumers.
In 2024, a series of food poisoning incidents, some of them fatal, underscored the importance of strengthening food safety all the way to these neighbourhood shops.
This is where DIME, Digital Innovation for Modernising the Independent Economy, comes in. Launched in 2025 by UNDP in partnership with the City of Johannesburg and the non-profit organization Wakanda, the initiative uses digital solutions to support the modernization of spaza shops and strengthen food safety.
By December 2026, it aims to support 20,000 shops across 15 communities in Gauteng and train 30,000 people in digital skills, food safety and business management.
At the heart of the initiative is Sphazamisa, an application that enables shopkeepers to track their inventory and incorporate food safety checks.
Sphazamisa is an an application that enables neighborhood shopkeepers in South Africa to track their inventory and incorporate food safety checks.
Photo: UNDP South Africa
But an app alone cannot change practices. It has to become part of shopkeepers’ everyday routines.
That is where Junior comes in.
He is one of 40 young digital ambassadors trained and equipped to visit shopkeepers and help them use Sphazamisa.
When Junior joined the programme, he had no previous experience in the field. Today, he moves from shop to shop, speaking with owners, showing them how to use the application and supporting them with food tracking, storage and safety.
“Being a DIME ambassador means being part of the solution. I help spaza shops sell food that is safe for consumers,” he says.
Junior is learning along the way, too. Through his visits, he is developing skills in data collection and analysis, an experience that has inspired him to pursue further studies in the field.
In Tembisa, innovation is working on both sides of the counter: helping shopkeepers keep food safer while giving young people like Junior the opportunity to build new skills.
The Digital Innovation for Modernizing the Independent Economy was launched in 2025 to support spaza shops and strengthen food safety in South Africa.
Photo: UNDP South Africa
Nourishing tomorrow starts today
We often think of innovation as something new, complex or technological. Yet in our food systems, it can be much simpler: building on what already exists, looking at a challenge differently and finding a solution that responds to local realities.
Behind what we eat every day lies an entire chain that we rarely see. And every step matters: for the people who depend on it for their livelihoods, for the communities that rely on it, and for our collective ability to build more sustainable and resilient food systems.
Innovating today to nourish tomorrow also means this: improving, one step at a time, the journey that takes food from farm to table.
