Project description
Sustainable food and farm systems in the humid tropics
Agroecology covers all activities and actors involved in food systems. It also places the well-being of people (producers and consumers of crops and products) at its core. The EU-funded CANALLS project will focus on the agroecological zones and diverse farming systems in the humid tropics of Central and Eastern Africa. It will explore the complex environmental, social and economic challenges, which in some cases are exacerbated by conflict and high vulnerability. Moreover, it will advance agroecological transitions in these regions through multi-actor transdisciplinary agroecology Living Labs at eight sites in four countries. The focus will be on crops such as cocoa, coffee and cassava, which are vital for subsistence and economic development.
Objective
The humid tropics of Central and Eastern Africa hold much promise for enhancing food and nutritional security within and beyond Africa. With a rich variety of agroecological zones and diverse farming systems, they are home for a great part of the rural population and a large diversity of living organisms, offering vital ecosystem services and potential for sustainable development. Still, if we are to tap into this potential, we need to address the complex environmental, social and economic challenges they face, which in cases are exacerbated by conflict and high vulnerability. In this context, CANALLS aims to drive agroecological transitions in the humid tropics of Central and Eastern Africa via multi-actor transdisciplinary Agroecology Living Labs (ALLs). We start with 8 ALLs in DRC, Burundi, Cameroon and Rwanda, working alongside and enabling over 20,000 farmers and value chain actors to co-create and benefit from optimal combinations of agroecological practices focusing on crops that are vital for subsistence and economic development (cocoa, coffee, cassava, rice, maize). In parallel, we engage in solid multi-actor collaboration with rural communities, advisory services and governments to develop a holistic assessment framework and evaluate the socio-economic and environmental performance of the co-created practices (accounting for trade-offs and synergies). We use the comprehensive evidence generated to build capacity and share knowledge (practice abstracts, replication guidelines, policy recommendations) as well as to deliver fair, inclusive and sustainable business models along with services and tools for facilitating access to markets and enhancing demand for agroecological products. Our vision is to create a growing network of ALLs that leverages EU-AU cooperation to conduct transdisciplinary research, offer scientific support and drive coordinated action for delivering holistic solutions that help shape enabling conditions for agroecological transitions.
Fields of science
Keywords
Programme(s)
Topic(s)
Funding Scheme
HORIZON-RIA - HORIZON Research and Innovation ActionsCoordinator
75016 Paris
France
See on map
Participants (19)
200001 Ibadan
See on map
70599 Stuttgart
See on map
1430 Aas
See on map
551 33 Kalamaria, Thessaloniki
See on map
The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.
3000 Leuven
See on map
BUKAVU
See on map
CYANGUNGU RWANDA
See on map
The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.
2123 YAOUNDE
See on map
237 Mbalmayo
See on map
795 Bujumbura
See on map
5016 Kigali
See on map
Kigali
See on map
- Kigali
See on map
Kampala
See on map
82166 Munchen
See on map
The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.
KINSHASA
See on map
243 BUKAVU
See on map
5299 YAOUNDE
See on map
+257 Bujumbura
See on map
Partners (2)
Partner organisations contribute to the implementation of the action, but do not sign the Grant Agreement.
8092 Zuerich
See on map
Partner organisations contribute to the implementation of the action, but do not sign the Grant Agreement.
EC2N 1HQ London
See on map