​Passionate about smart, small-scale farming for township residents and the informal farming economy, Dr Naudé Malan was recently appointed as a member of the Board of Agricultural Research Council of South Africa. Dr Malan is a Senior Lecturer in Development Studies at the University of Johannesburg (UJ).

Dr Malan is also the convener of the multi-stakeholder engagement project Izindaba Zokudla (an isiZulu phrase for ‘Conversations about food’) that aims to create opportunities for urban agriculture in a sustainable food system in Soweto. The project engages and links urban farmers, entrepreneurs, academics, civil servants and other stakeholders through participatory technologies and enterprise development.

Dr Malan has published research on the South African social welfare system, agriculture and human rights and developed social methodologies for agricultural development, institutional innovation and technology design for urban small-scale farmers.

The Agricultural Research Council is a premier science institution that conducts research with partners, develops human capital and fosters innovation to support and develop the South African agricultural sector.