Technologies for Sustainable city region FOOD systems in Africa

16 Januar 2023

Prof. Gertrud Buchenrieder, Institut für Soziologie und Volkswirtschaftslehre, hat gemeinsam mit 21 internationalen Partnern und dem FZ RISK das EU-Projekt INCiTiS-FOOD: Integrated and Circular Technologies for Sustainable city region FOOD systems in Africa erfolgreich eingeworben.

Laufzeit: 01.01.2023 bis 31.12.2026
Förderung: HEU-Food, Bioeconomy, Natural Resources, Agriculture and Enviroment

INCiTiS-FOOD (Integrated and Circular Technologies for Sustainable city region FOOD systems in Africa) is a 4-year project that aims to improve food and nutrition security (FNS) in African city regions and reduce the food-system-related environmental footprint while contributing to circularity. Furthermore, the project will empower communities by opening up opportunities for them in agri-food supply and value chains, and by achieving environmental justice through transformative food policies. This will be achieved through interdisciplinary research, integrated best-fit technologies, stakeholder led action, capacity-building, research-practitioner-policy collaborative engagement, and Europe-Africa partnership.

The INCiTiS-FOOD project will co-create circular agri-food technologies, practices, and business models for an inclusive food system in African cities and towns. The agri-food technologies comprise soilless crop farming (hydroponics), recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS), and insect farming. These circular agri-food technologies have been deemed suitable for the context of African cities because they do not require great access to land, water, or wealth.

The project is based on a multi-actor approach, involving 8 Living Labs (LLs) in 6 countries from 3 African regions (East: Kenya; West: Ghana, Nigeria, Sierra Leone; Central: Cameroon, Gabon). The INCiTiS-FOOD project will follow a Lean Start-up Methodology to achieve minimum viable products (MVPs). These MVPs are expected to reach a sufficiently high technological, societal, and business readiness level in 2 years into the 4-year project. The MVPs are further validated in a demonstration phase (800-1000+ start-ups and scalable small and medium-sized enterprises, SMEs) on the basis of 2 Open Calls for the Cascade Fund (FSTP: Financial Support to Third Parties). Beneficiaries of the Cascade Fund will be surveyed to generate empirical evidence on the co-benefits of the INCiTiS-FOOD project technologies and business models, which will guide urban food policy roadmaps for African cities.

Project Partner:

1. Universität der Bundeswehr München UniBw M DE, (Coordinator)
2. Aglobe Development Center ADC NG
3. Technical University of Munich TUM DE
4. Njala University NUSL SL
5. Fachhochschule Südwestfalen FH-SWF DE
6. Aquaponik manufaktur GmbH APM DE
7. Université des Sciences et Techniques de Masuku USTM GA
8. University of Ibadan UI NG
9. University of Bologna UNIBO IT
10. Bamenda University of Science and Technology BUST CR
11. SunLight Power Africa SP KE
12. Youth 4 Development Y4D KE
13. Kenyatta University KU KE
14. Foodscale Hub FSH GR
15. University of Development Studies UDS GH
16. Agrifood Lithuania DIH LT
17. Bavarian Research Alliance BayFOR DE
18. Stichting Wageningen Research WR NL
19. Egerton University EGE KE
20. Women Engage for a Common Future WECF NL
21. Zurich University of Applied Sciences ZHAW CH (associate)
22. InsectiPro Ltd. InsectiPro KE
23. African Rural and Agricultural Credit Association AFRACA KE
24. Ben-Gurion University of the Negev BGU IL

^{Bild: © gettyimages/AzmanJaka}