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6 PHILANTHROPY MAGAZINEUKZN Secures Funding to Champion SustainableFOOD SYSTEMS & FOOD SECURITY THROUGH COMMUNITY-ENGAGED RESEARCHProfessor Joyce Chitja (third left) seen with delegates and panellists at the Committee on World Food Security gathering in Rome.FEATUREThe Water Research Commission (WRC) will support transformative projects targeting urban and peri-urban smallholder farmers, enhance water-use security in agroprocessing, and support community-based solutions to food insecurity.This initiative continues a 12-year collaboration between ACFS and Cornell, which has seen student researchers from both institutions work together on agricultural and market access challenges through the SMART (Student Multidisciplinary Applied Research Team) programme.Chitja%u2019s achievement is rooted in a lifelong commitment to transforming Professor Joyce Chitja recognised as a Wonder Woman in Science at UKZN.MELISSA MUNGROO & CHRISTINE CU%u00c9NOD Director of the African Centre for Food Security (ACFS) at UKZN, Professor Joyce Chitja is spearheading efforts that combine international collaboration and local expertise to support smallholder farmers and improve market access. The initiative is backed by UKZN%u2019s College of Agriculture, Engineering and Science (AES), which facilitated the visit of Cornell University postgraduate researchers, and further supported by the National Agricultural Marketing Council (NAMC) through funding to develop a Red Meat Development database and strategic roadmap for KwaZulu-Natal%u2019s livestock sector.