In a significant move to elevate transcontinental agricultural partnership, South Africa’s Agriculture Minister John Steenhuisen and Italy’s Minister of Agriculture, Food Sovereignty and Forests, Francesco Lollobrigida, will jointly convene the first-ever South Africa-Italy Agriculture Business Forum on 9–10 June 2026 in the Western Cape.
The inaugural forum brings together policymakers, industry innovators, and enterprise leaders from both nations with a shared vision: to catalyze deeper collaboration across agriculture, agro-processing, and trade. Under the guiding theme “South Africa and Italy Building Resilient, Value-Added Agri-Business Partnerships: From the Soil to the Shelf,” the event positions agricultural cooperation as a driver of sustainable economic growth and mutual prosperity.
Over two dynamic days, participants will engage in a high-level institutional plenary, targeted thematic panels, and structured business-to-business and business-to-government dialogues. The second day shifts focus to the field, with curated site visits to local enterprises active across the agricultural value chain—offering delegates firsthand insight into South African innovation and operational excellence.
Strategic discussions will span a comprehensive portfolio of priority sectors:
- Agri-food production and fruit/vegetable cultivation
- Food processing and advanced packaging solutions
- Agricultural machinery, equipment, and automation
- Agri-technology, digital farming tools, and data-driven agriculture
- Livestock innovation and animal health systems
- Water stewardship and natural resource management
- Climate-adaptive and protected agriculture practices
- Sustainability frameworks and carbon farming initiatives
The forum is designed not only as a platform for dialogue but as a launchpad for tangible outcomes. Central to the visit, Ministers Steenhuisen and Lollobrigida are anticipated to formalize a new chapter in bilateral relations by signing a Memorandum of Understanding. This agreement will specifically target enhanced cooperation in agricultural innovation, agro-processing development, market access facilitation, and joint research initiatives.
By strengthening this growth axis, the forum aims to accelerate the internationalisation of African agriculture—creating scalable opportunities for investment, technology transfer, and value-chain integration between two agriculturally dynamic regions. As global food systems face mounting pressures from climate volatility and supply chain complexity, the South Africa-Italy partnership signals a proactive, solutions-oriented approach to building resilient, future-ready agri-business ecosystems.
