Lindiwe Majele Sibanda

African agricultural advocate revolutionizing food security through women's empowerment

Lindiwe Majele Sibanda (1964-2019) was a transformative force in African agriculture, serving as CEO of the Food, Agriculture and Natural Resources Policy Analysis Network (FANRPAN) from 2001 until her untimely passing. Born in Zimbabwe, she dedicated her career to eradicating hunger through policy advocacy and empowering women farmers.

Her groundbreaking 2014 report 'The State of Africa's Agriculture' exposed systemic gender disparities, showing women produce 70% of Africa's food but own just 1% of farmland. She pioneered the 'Gender in Agriculture Policy Index' (GAPI), the first continent-wide tool measuring gender equity in agricultural policies.

Sibanda's 2016 initiative to create Africa's first women's farming cooperative network connected 500,000 smallholder farmers. She also brokered the 2018 African Union policy reforms requiring 30% female representation in agricultural decision-making. Her work with the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) helped secure $1.5B in climate-smart agriculture funding for vulnerable regions.

Despite her passing, her legacy lives on through the FANRPAN and the Lindiwe Sibanda Women in Agriculture Initiative. Her advocacy directly influenced the African Union's 2019 Malabo Declaration on food security.