Overview
This Centre and its world-class scientists and researchers are conducting cross-cutting, multi-, inter- and trans-disciplinary research addressing complex problems, promoting novel crops and food systems, prioritising the science to policy translation of research, pursuing continued global collaboration, and advancing innovation in early warning systems.
The scientific themes we focus on include agricultural water management, food systems, crop-climate modelling, climate change adaptation and early warning systems, and the water-energy-food nexus.
We aim to take our research beyond just publication, but embed within it the potential to deliver social impacts, including transformation, redress and community empowerment, sustainable development solutions (aligned to the Sustainable Development Goals), information for policy and decision making, human capital development, and new products, services and job creation for economic development.
Our home
CTAFS provides a physical and virtual space for researchers, students and industry to collaborate and engage across disciplines.
Housed within the University of KwaZulu-Natal’s (UKZN) School of Agricultural, Earth and Environmental Sciences (SAEES), CTAFS collaborates with researchers across a broad range of Colleges, Schools, Centres, Units and Disciplines within the UKZN structure. Active collaborations are ongoing with the African Centre for Crop Improvement (ACCI), the African Centre for Food Security (ACFS), the Centre for Water Resources Research (CWRR), the Farmer Support Group (FSG), and UKZN’s South African Research Chairs (SARChI) of Land Use Planning and of Rural Agronomy.
This is in aid of supporting and contributing to UKZN’s Research Flagships:
- SOCIAL COHESION: Addressing Inequality and Promoting Nation Building
- AFRICAN HEALTH: Saving Lives
- BIG DATA AND INFORMATICS: Computing Solutions
- AFRICAN CITY OF THE FUTURE: Most Livable Cities