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UNIVERSITY OF KWAZULU-NATAL FOUNDATION 13CHRISTINE CU%u00c9NODUKZN%u2019s commitment to impactful research and innovation continues to position the University as a key player in addressing Africa%u2019s food security and agricultural development needs. Two groundbreaking initiatives %u2013 one in livestock market access and the other in cultivated meat production %u2013 are exemplifying the power of collaboration, technology and community engagement in transforming Africa%u2019s food systems.UKZN Research Collaborations Empower Sustainable Solutions for Africa%u2019s Agricultural and FOOD SECURITY CHALLENGESStaff, students, presenters and guests at the presentation session on the smallholder red meat baseline study by the African Centre for Food Security and Cornell University.The African Centre for Food Security (ACFS) at UKZN, in partnership with the National Agricultural Marketing Council (NAMC) and Cornell University (USA), is spearheading a red meat baseline study to investigate barriers to market access for smallholder livestock farmers.This longstanding collaboration %u2013 now in its 12th year %u2013 brings together students and researchers from UKZN and Cornell%u2019s Small Farms Programme. Cornell%u2019s Student Multidisciplinary Applied Research Team (SMART), under the guidance of Professor Anu Rangarajan, visited South Africa for a two-week exchange with ACFS.The initiative enabled hands-on research around smallholder market access in KwaZulu-Natal communities such as KwaXimba, Embo Hillcrest, Inanda, Emachobeni, Mpumuza and Swayimane.More than 40 stakeholders attended a presentation session to discuss findings and strategies. Participants included farmers, students and representatives from UKZN, the Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development (DALRRD), the National Agricultural Marketing Council (NAMC), the Agricultural Research Council, and the Upper Midlands Agricultural Transformation Initiative (UMATI). Discussions covered regulatory services, infrastructure support, youth engagement in livestock farming and the cultural significance of cattle. Farmers shared experiences, while students presented detailed farmer typologies, research