Sibanda grew up on a farm in rural Zimbabwe, and believes her strong personal connection to Africa’s agricultural traditions has helped her become one of the continent’s leading advocates for food and nutrition security. At FANRPAN, Sibanda coordinates agricultural policy research and advocacy programs in 17 African countries. In 2010, she was invited into the Guardian Global Development Advisory Panel and identified as one the world’s most influential thinkers and provocative new voices. Sibanda has been a leading voice in the “Farming First” global campaign to promote sustainable agricultural development. In 2012 she was appointed as board chair at the International Livestock Research Institute and in 2013 she was co-winner of the YARA prize in recognition of her contributions to African agriculture specifically focusing on her work for the youth and paying particular attention to innovation and entrepreneurship. Sibanda says one of her dreams is to become the “Oprah of African agriculture”, and plans to launch a development-themed television talk show to showcase successful development stories.
