Agnes Kalibata

Agnes Kalibata - 2019 (cropped)

Agnes Matilda Kalibata is a Rwandan agricultural scientist and policymaker, and president of the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA).She served as Rwanda's minister of agriculture and animal resources from 2008 to 2014 and began her tenure as president of the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) in 2014. Agnes Matilda Kalibata also served as the Special Envoy of the UN Secretary-General for the 2021 Food Systems Summit, playing a crucial role in catalyzing global efforts to improve food systems and achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. She holds a Ph.D. in Entomology from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and has received numerous prestigious awards, including the Yara Prize (now the Africa Food Prize) and honorary doctorates from the University of Liège and McGill University. Under her leadership, AGRA has made significant strides in strengthening state capability and policies, input delivery systems, and partnerships for inclusive agricultural growth.(agra)

Quotes

• We need to make sure that the market is available, to make agriculture attractive. And I think that’s the biggest gap to date that we see. With a good market, people will invest in research, in improving the sector. In getting better yields. But the market has to pay.
• this is the time to strengthen the resilience that already exists amongst us including regeneration capacity, community social safety nets, diversified food and income sources.
• Africa is a diverse continent with multiple ecological zones and profiles, cultures, farming systems and people. Embracing this diversity through the use and integration of Indigenous knowledge, generating and using context-specific evidence to design and implement programs, is key to ensuring we have sustainable food systems and would ensure greater success of the future food system.
• Improving availability of technologies and functional markets for Africa’s women can be a game changer given that women are involved in the production of ~70% of Africa’s food! Inclusion of women in more equitable ways – in the way they access, use and benefit from improved technologies – has huge potential to stabilize and build resilience in our food systems.
• “the UN’s Food Systems Chief, on How Science Can Transform Farming to Help Save the Planet”
  • Agnes Kalibata, the UN’s Food Systems Chief, on How Science Can Transform Farming to Help Save the Planet TIME Magazine interview ( 28 January 2021)
• “The key to Africa’s prosperity? Cultivating ‘agropreneurs’”
  • The key to Africa’s prosperity? Cultivating ‘agropreneurs’ Los Angeles Times (26 May 2016)
• Africa improved food is now purchasing from over 350,000 farmers…that’s the signal you want because that farmer will go and purchase seed, that means businesses like seed companies will survive.”
  • Dr. Agnes Kalibata Advocates for Strengthened African Food Systems at the 54th World Economic Forum Kilimo Kwanza ( 17 January 2024)
• Most countries that do a lot of first-class agriculture put huge subsidies on the agricultural sector in a way that makes it possible for people to do farming.” And: “The reason young people don’t want to get (into agriculture) is because it is not paying. They will not go into anything that doesn’t pay.”
  • AGRA boss Agnes Kalibata pins hope on green revolution as she exits after 10 years National Africa (27 October 2024)
• “Climate change is quickly becoming the most significant challenge facing our planet, and I am committed to working with other partners and stakeholders to address this critical issue.
  • Rwanda: Kalibata Appointed to COP28 President's Advisory Committee on Climate Change AllaAfrica (17 May 2023)
• Because we’re a small institution and we don’t have a whole lot of money, we focus on trying to be catalytic.”
  • Born in Rwanda, raised in Uganda as a refugee, Agnes Kalibata is changing African farming Agra food system ( 24 April 2023)
• “Agriculture is how I got here. Agriculture sustained my family, but it was not about food. It got my family out of poverty.”
  • Dr. Agnes Kalibata: Possibilities that become real in Africa through agriculture Kilimo kwanza ( 29 April 2019 )
• “Be prepared to work hard but also be prepared to do the hard stuff.”
  • SciDev: Q&A: Women must ‘do the hard Agra Food System (2 March 2021)
• “We need to make sure that the market is available, to make agriculture attractive. And I think that’s the biggest gap to date that we see. With a good market, people will invest in research, in improving the sector. In getting better yields. But the market has to pay.” Agra Food Systems
  • Born in Rwanda, raised in Uganda as a refugee, Agnes Kalibata is changing African farming Agra Food system ( 24 April 2023)
• Africa’s food systems have become fragile because they are highly vulnerable to climate change and, as a result, to all sorts of shocks.
  • Dr. Agnes Kalibata: To reverse runaway climate change and build resilient societies we need to transform food systems agneskalibata.org (22 November 2022)
• “Women will perform as well as men if they are given the right education, incentives, access to financing, property and land. … Empowering women is empowering a nation.”
  • Rwandan Official Calls for Greater Equality for Women Voice of America (2 November 2009)
• I reflect with immense pride on our transformative journey over the past ten years
  • Agnes Kalibata completes her tenure at AGRA The News Time ( October 07 2025 )
• Weak infrastructure made it difficult to move food from areas with supplies to those facing shortages. It was not a failure of production, it was a failure of connectivity of our systems.
  • Experts Probe Why Africa’s Food Potential Is Not Feeding Its People ktpress.rw (September 20, 2026)
• It scares me that the agricultural sector has become a sector almost like a social protection sector, where resources go straight into managing the cost of fertilisers, food, and who eats next. This is not investments, it is not transformation, it is crisis management.
  • Experts Probe Why Africa’s Food Potential Is Not Feeding Its People ktpress.rw (September 20, 2026)
• When we invest in agriculture research, we are investing in a better future for humanity.
  • Dr Agnes Kalibata NAS Speech. agra.org (September 20, 2026)
• Science has dramatically reduced poverty in the world today. But our work is not finished. Science must help us harness the power of agriculture to bring wealth and hope to places in Africa and other developing parts of the world where there is now mostly poverty and pessimism.
  • Dr Agnes Kalibata NAS Speech. agra.org (September 20, 2026)
• We must put science at the forefront, and we must strategically use policy to be swift in our actions.
  • Transforming food systems is within reach un.org (September 20, 2026)
• Ending hunger is going to require ambitious action at scale, supported by increased investment and innovation.
  • Agnes Kalibata: transforming food systems. iris.who.int (September 20, 2026)
• Empowering people to feel like they're part of the solution is extremely important.
  • 117: The Seeds Are Sown for a Food Revolution with Agnes Kalibata outrageandoptimism.org (September 20, 2026)
• Don't drop something that shouldn't be. Don't do something that shouldn't be because you're hurting the future of our children.
  • 117: The Seeds Are Sown for a Food Revolution with Agnes Kalibata outrageandoptimism.org (September 20, 2026)
• People have food but they don’t know how to eat a balanced diet. You find someone farming vegetables and, instead of utilising that chance, they decide to sell everything. We still have many issues.
  • Kalibata advises on balanced diet. newtimes.co.rw (September 20, 2026)
• I don’t think Africa has a fear of technology. Look at how fast the mobile telephone has spread. But countries have not yet put in place frameworks for bringing onboard genetically modified foods.
  • Agnes Kalibata, the UN's Food Systems Chief, on How Science Can Transform Farming to Help Save the Planet. mamopanel.org (September 20, 2026)
• Only science can help us define the impact. We don’t want to be damaging our food systems, or hurting people. Everything has to be anchored in science and evidence.
  • Agnes Kalibata, the UN's Food Systems Chief, on How Science Can Transform Farming to Help Save the Planet. mamopanel.org (September 20, 2026)
• The truth is we are where we are now because of technologies that have already been developed.
  • Agnes Kalibata, the UN's Food Systems Chief, on How Science Can Transform Farming to Help Save the Planet. mamopanel.org (September 20, 2026)
• Rather than embrace technology, some people opt to live in fear of it.
  • Agnes Kalibata, the UN's Food Systems Chief, on How Science Can Transform Farming to Help Save the Planet. mamopanel.org (September 20, 2026)
• New technologies won’t work if they are not meeting the needs on the ground, or if they’re not meeting a good political environment and a good business environment.
  • Agnes Kalibata, the UN's Food Systems Chief, on How Science Can Transform Farming to Help Save the Planet. mamopanel.org (September 20, 2026)
• When science and policy meet. You can change communities overnight with the right technology and policies.
  • Agnes Kalibata, the UN's Food Systems Chief, on How Science Can Transform Farming to Help Save the Planet. mamopanel.org (September 20, 2026)
• The transformation of African food systems will come when young people are farming and making farming productive.
  • Agnes Kalibata, the UN's Food Systems Chief, on How Science Can Transform Farming to Help Save the Planet. mamopanel.org (September 20, 2026)
• There is a whole lot of belief (about) Africans — corruption and stuff like that. We can actually demonstrate that we take care of people’s money; that an African institution can take care of people’s money.
  • Born in Rwanda, raised in Uganda as a refugee, Agnes Kalibata is changing African farming agra.org (September 20, 2026)
• I learnt that it’s actually possible to use agriculture to fight poverty.
  • Born in Rwanda, raised in Uganda as a refugee, Agnes Kalibata is changing African farming agra.org (September 20, 2026)
• It’s very painful, wondering whether you’ll be able to have children, whether you’ve sacrificed too much when it comes to children. It’s something that every woman who has a career worries about. And I just keep saying that there must be a better way. There must be a better balance. There must be a better balance that saves you the pain; that allows you to get your career in good time and saves you the pain of having to look for children when you’re older.
  • Born in Rwanda, raised in Uganda as a refugee, Agnes Kalibata is changing African farming agra.org (September 20, 2026)
• Our job is to strengthen capacity, not to do things for people. We want to make sure these communities can actually do a better job when we are not there. So, we want to leave them in a better place.
  • Born in Rwanda, raised in Uganda as a refugee, Agnes Kalibata is changing African farming agra.org (September 20, 2026)
• We need to make sure that the market is available, to make agriculture attractive. And I think that’s the biggest gap to date that we see. With a good market, people will invest in research, in improving the sector.
  • Born in Rwanda, raised in Uganda as a refugee, Agnes Kalibata is changing African farming agra.org (September 20, 2026)
• Imagine if all farmers adopted improved seeds so that instead of 0.5 metric tonnes, they are producing five metric tonnes. Life will change for these farmers. My job is to focus on those farmers who are not adopting even simple technologies that are already available to us.
  • Born in Rwanda, raised in Uganda as a refugee, Agnes Kalibata is changing African farming agra.org (September 20, 2026)
• The biggest challenge of food security in Africa is not production. It’s failure of trade because of a lack of infrastructure.
  • Beyond the Green Revolution: How AGRA evolved under Agnes Kalibata. devex.com (September 20, 2026)
• Africa’s biggest challenge is the frequency and ferocity of climate change.
  • [Column] Dr Agnes Kalibata: It’s time to step up Africa’s adaptation plans, for food and nutrition security. africabusinesscommunities.com (September 20, 2026)
• We must continue to work on coming through together; there is no part of the world that can survive this alone; we need to ensure that the communities that are most exposed to climate change, that are suffering from nutrition and lack of resilience can have a better life for their children, which can only happen if we come through on the adaptation promises made to date.
  • [Column] Dr Agnes Kalibata: It’s time to step up Africa’s adaptation plans, for food and nutrition security. africabusinesscommunities.com (September 20, 2026)
• I’m extremely passionate about ending hunger in our lifetime: I believe it’s a solvable problem.
  • ‘Hunger is a solvable problem’: UN envoy’s plan to transform food systems for all. news.un.org (September 20, 2026)
• We need to enhance our economic growth by investing in agriculture... it is in this way that we shall be able to feed our populations and be resilient to shocks caused by changing global food prices.
• https://www.newtimes.co.rw/article/61502/rwanda-in-agricultural-revolution-process-success-and-challenges/amp. newtimes.co.rw ( September 23, 2026 )
• My being here today is proof of possibilities.
  • [](Dr-Agnes-Kalibata-NAS-Speech.pdf)