The inception meeting of the Research for Agroecology Network of Southern Africa (RAENS) was held from 24th - 28th February, 2025 at the University of Cape Town and Lagoon Beach Hotel in Cape Town, South Africa. The meeting was attended by representatives of the Centre for Coordination of Agricultural Research and Development in Southern Africa (CCARDESA) and the eight members of the consortium, namely Sokoine University of Agriculture (SUA), University of Cape Town - UCT (South Africa), Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources - LUANAR (Malawi), Marondera University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology - MUAST (Zimbabwe), Zambia Agricultural Research Institute (ZARI), Research Institute of Organic Agriculture - FiBL (Switzerland), World Agroforestry Centre - ICRAF (Zambia, Malawi) and Young Professionals for Agricultural Development - YPARD (Germany).