The Remitting for Resilience (R2) Project convened its Planning Meeting from February 18 to 21, 2025 in Cape Town, bringing together project leaders, researchers, and key stakeholders. The meeting served as a pivotal moment for refining research strategies, strengthening partnerships, and setting priorities for the next phase of the project, which examines how migrant remittances can enhance food security and climate resilience.
Over the four-day gathering, participants engaged in intensive discussions on research methodologies, data collection strategies, and the coordination of fieldwork across multiple migration corridors in Africa, Europe, and North America. Partners of the R2 project presented existing knowledge about each migration and remittance corridor. The participants were then broken into three different groups to discuss the key questions related to the implementation of the R2 project, including the knowledge we have about the connections between remittances, food security and climate change, the key actors to engage with for the success of the project, and the methodologies of qualitative data collection and big data analysis. The team then spent a day for a learning journey in different migrant neighbourhoods in Cape Town and then gathered for a reflection on the interesting observations in the field and its connections to the project themes. Participants of the planning meeting also reviewed the quantitative and qualitative research instruments and provided valuable insights for the data collection of the project. Participants also addressed logistical and ethical considerations in conducting field research, particularly in vulnerable communities.
A key highlight of the meeting was the emphasis on interdisciplinary collaboration and stakeholder engagement. By integrating perspectives from migration studies, food security research, climate adaptation strategies, and development policy, the team reinforced its commitment to producing actionable knowledge. The meeting also provided a vital platform for strengthening the sense of solidarity among researchers and partners, fostering a collaborative spirit that will drive the project forward. As the R2 project moves into its next phase, the outcomes of this meeting will guide data collection, fieldwork coordination, and engagement with policymakers and local communities.
Team members of the MiFOOD project also convened for the PCC meeting of the MiFOOD project in the last day to review the MiFOOD project’s Mid-term Report, update on the progress of various MiFOOD projects and the Women Feeding Cities project, upcoming proposals for Workstream 3 and 4 of MiFOOD, publications, financial reporting and future events.
For updates on the R2 Project, research findings, and upcoming events, visit www.mifood.org.
The meeting agenda could be accessed here:
