Collaborative Consulting for Civil Society, Science & Politics
WEAVE Strategies – The consulting Collective towards rights-based solutions
At WEAVE Strategies, we work at the intersection of food systems transformation, gender and social justice, and community-led change.
With deep expertise in agroecology, the human right to food, and policy advocacy, we accompany organisations and movements that promote social and environmental justice, and strengthen participation, care, and accountability.
Rooted in feminist, intersectional, and human rights principles, we offer advising, facilitation, and storytelling to help shape policies, practices, and strategies towards more democratic, inclusive, and sustainable futures.
If you are interested in getting to know us and exploring collaboration, we'd love to hear from you.
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Lena Bassermann
Senior Policy Expert
Lena is an expert in development policy, global food security, agroecology, and human rights. With over 15 years of experience in politics, civil society organisations, and think tanks, she focuses on international development cooperation and sustainable food systems. She specialises in strategy development, policy advice, UN negotiations, and facilitating multi-stakeholder dialogues. Lena also has extensive experience in coordinating civil society networks and organising events and publications that promote sustainable and rights-based food systems transformation.
lena[at]weave-strategies.org -
Dr Nicole Paganini
Senior Science Society Expert
Nicole has extensive experience in research, civil society, and international cooperation, with a focus on food systems transformation, gender justice, and the human right to food. Her work applies feminist methods to explore urban food security, the care economy, and the informal sector in diverse African contexts. She has also worked extensively on gender-based violence (GBV) and its intersections with hunger. Nicole combines a strong publication record with hands-on experience in policy dialogue, coalition building, and arts-based approaches. She has completed training in trauma-sensitive research to facilitate inclusive processes across diverse teams and contexts.
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Jan Urhahn
Senior Civil Society Expert
Jan is a specialist in food systems with over 15 years of experience in internationally active civil society organisations and political foundations. With an academic background in geography and political science, he works at the intersection of policy, science, and social movements. In senior roles, he has addressed issues such as land grabbing, climate change, and the human right to food and more recently farm workers’ rights, food pricing, and advancing agroecology as an alternative to industrial agriculture. From 2019 to 2025, he led a global food sovereignty programme based in South Africa. Jan is also the executive producer of the award-winning documentary The Last Seed and the film Toxic Harvest.
WHAT WE OFFER
Participatory research design and studies
Our expertise spans food systems and agroecology, gender and social justice, accountability, challenging corporate power, community-led development, and human rights-based approaches. We design and conduct research that is participatory, inclusive, and grounded in feminist methodologies. We work with qualitative and quantitative methods and generate robust evidence and translate findings into actionable recommendations for policy, advocacy, and organisational practice.
Conceptualisation and facilitation of policy processes
With extensive political, programme, and project experience at the local, national, international, and multilateral levels, we support the development and facilitation of dialogue and decision-making processes across science, politics, and civil society that inform and accompany policy development. From multi-year programmes to targeted policy processes, we ensure inclusive participation, strategic alignment, and concrete outcomes.
facilitation of community processes
We work in solidarity with grassroots organisations, Indigenous Peoples, and marginalised communities to amplify their voices and strengthen their agency as rights holders in social and political change. Our approach is rooted in long-term partnerships, co-creation, and community-driven processes, ensuring that local knowledge and lived experience remain central in debates and strategies.
Publications, communication & Strategy
We create audience-specific publications such as studies, policy briefs, and position papers, and support the full process from strategic framing and key message development to design and production. We help to create impact through targeted distribution strategies, media outreach, social media integration, and launch event design. We also develop policy engagement strategies and organise dialogues with political decision-makers to turn research and advocacy into concrete action.
Facilitation and design of workshops and public events
We co-design and co-facilitate workshops, learning journeys, and a wide range of interactive and public events that encourage exchange, collective learning, and political dialogue. Using participatory and arts-based methods, we create spaces for meaningful conversations that lead to concrete outcomes. Our public events – online and offline – foster dialogue across sectors, movements, and political perspectives.
Evaluation, learning and strategic reflection
We conduct both classical evaluations (such as reviews, final project evaluations and programme assessments) as well as evaluations that go beyond measuring outcomes to reveal learning processes, relationships, and power dynamics. Drawing on experience in international cooperation, we tailor evaluation strategies to complex social realities. We work with mixed methods, qualitative depth, and context-sensitive indicators. Our evaluations strengthen accountability and strategic learning.
Our Soli
We offer solidarity-based consulting for grassroots groups and social movements, making our expertise accessible beyond formal projects and institutions. Our support ranges from strategic advice and campaign development to the facilitation of participatory workshops – always guided by feminist, intersectional, and rights-based approaches.
We provide these services flexibly and at reduced or no cost, recognising the crucial role that movements play in driving meaningful social change.
REFERENCES
“In South Africa, The WEAVE team showed outstanding leadership in process design and facilitation, bringing together diverse communities to co-create inclusive dialogues. Their feminist and participatory approach bridges practice and reflection, connecting issues of food justice and gender-based violence in meaningful ways. Combining intercultural competence with strong organisational and project management skills, WEAVE delivers complex processes with clarity, creativity, and care.”
– Dr Joanne Harding, Director, Social Change Assistance Trust (SCAT), South Africa
“With the WEAVE team, we documented human rights violations committed by the investor Amatheon in Zambia and published the findings in a comprehensive study. From planning the fact-finding mission to the final publication, we worked closely together at every stage - with a result that fully convinced me.”
- Roman Herre, Senior Policy Advisor, FIAN, Germany
“From numerous joint projects – whether workshops, public events, or large-scale studies – I can wholeheartedly recommend the team from WEAVE. They stand out for their high professional competence, precise research, reliable project management, and always pleasant collaboration. I would be delighted to work with them again anytime.”
– Lena Luig, Head of International Agricultural Policy Division, Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung, Germany
“At the Alliance for Food Sovereignty in Africa (AFSA), we work to promote farmers’ seeds and keep control of them in the hands of the people, namely rural communities – the foundation of sustainable food systems. The Weave team supported us in this mission, producing powerful videos and a feature documentary film, and collaborating on a study revealing the harms of industrial seed initiatives. They were always reliable, sensitive to local contexts, and excellent storytellers.”
-Famara Diédhiou, West Africa Program Coordinator, AFSA, Senegal
“We have collaborated in processes that required careful facilitation and the ability to bring diverse stakeholders together in complex political and methodological contexts. Their approach to moderation is both skilled and deeply grounded in intersectional and decolonial methodologies, creating spaces where different forms of knowledge are recognised and held with respect.
What stands out is their clear feminist stance. This is not merely a theoretical positioning, but one that becomes visible in how processes are designed, how language is used, and how power dynamics are understood and addressed. In a moment of global backlash against feminist movements and social rights, this kind of political clarity is essential especially to help to amplify voices that are too often excluded from decision-making tables.”
– Mônica Guerra Rocha, Co-Director, Comida do Amanhã, Brazil
Get in Touch
If you have any questions or are interested in working with us, please don’t hesitate to get in touch — we look forward to hearing from you.