Event information
The Food Indaba is an annual programme of talks and events that focus on the local food system.
It brings together a wide range of speakers involved in shaping the food system, providing an opportunity for food growers, academics, activists, writers, nutritionists, policymakers, food lovers and anyone interested in sustainable approaches, to engage in key issues connected to the food consumed and finding ways to work together in creating a better food future.
The programme consists of the following:
- Bellville Food Systems Walking Tour
8, 12 & 19 July
Take a journey with the team at the Greater Tygerberg Partnership and SAUFFT showcasing the work being done by the Partnership and the AfriFOODlinks project to develop and support the Bellville informal food system, and understand the relationship between food, waste, culture, identity and political will.
Bellville is the city’s largest commercial centre, and is considered a Pan-African food hub.
The exploration begins with the Bellville informal trade market at the taxi rank, sampling foods, engaging with traders, learning about the goods being traded, and follows the journey of waste created at the market down the road to the waste sorting site, and finally the urban farm that is fertilised by the market's organic waste. The walk ends with a herbal tea.
- Cape Town Food Systems Walking Tour
10, 12 & 19 July
Join a small group walking tour that explores the intricate connections and overlays between Cape Town’s ecological systems, history and food lineages, from pre-colonial to present day.
Created by the SAUFFT and the tour guides hosting, in collaboration with historian and former head of the Western Cape Economic Development Partnership, Andrew Boraine, the tour sheds light on how history shapes the modern-day food system in Cape Town and how the contemporary city shapes our interactions with food.
Experience the vibrant food cultures on the streets and in the urban core, including tastes of classic Cape Town street food.
The walk takes participants on a loop through the city starting at Heritage Square, taking in locations such as Greenmarket Square, the station deck, the Golden Acre and the Company’s Gardens.
The ticket price includes food tastings.
- Kids Cooking and Chemistry Workshop
11, 12 & 19 July
The Food Indaba has partnered with the Cape Town Science Centre to stage a series of chemistry and cooking workshops for kids aged 6 - 10. Kids can discover the science of cooking through a series of simple cooking experiments in this immersive workshop.
The focus is on indigenous Cape plants and ice cream, with the participants tasting, learning and creating their own indigenous ice creams.
Suitable for ages 6 - 13.
- Langa Food Systems Walking Tour
12, 15 & 19 July
Join a small group on a journey to the heart of the Langa food system.
Langa constitutes the geographic centre of the City of Cape Town metropole, and what was established to be on the margins now holds a significant central role.
On this walking tour participants get inside the Langa food system, learning about policy, trade, market access, supply chain nuances, identity and the tension between trader desire and city economic development goals.
Participants also get to sample a range of local specialities.
Tea with a Farmer 16 on Lerotholi Garden
12 & 19 July
Hosted by farmer Mzi Mashicila, Tea with a Farmer is an urban farm immersion.
Guests are welcomed at the 16 on Lerotholi Art Gallery with a cup of farm-grown herbal tea, and then guided around the farm, learning about its history, sustainable farming practices, organic gardening, and the importance of urban agriculture. The SAUFFT Agrihub pilot project is located at the farm, and this innovative initiative forms part of the tour.
The tour runs about an hour and fifteen minutes. Guests are encouraged to linger after the tour and take in the Art Café exhibition at the gallery that forms part of Food Indaba 2025.
Tea is included in the ticket price.
- AI and the Food System Conference
Friday 18 July
A full day in-person conference anchored by key regional AI thought leaders and practitioners drawn from the Centre of Excellence in Food Security's Innovation Lab, the Data Science for Social Impact research group at the University of Pretoria, and the Global Centre on AI Governance.
The morning lays out global geopolitical AI context, AI in Africa, current movements and opportunities as well as current commercial applications. The afternoon focuses on AI and African food systems.
Ticket price includes lunch. No U16s.
