Project description
Delivering food and nutrition security in Africa
Current African food systems are experiencing severe challenges in delivering desired outcomes of food and nutrition security, environmental conservation and sustainable livelihoods. Consequently, a quarter of those residing in African cities remain food insecure and malnourished. Within 4 years, the EU-funded INCiTiS-FOOD project will improve food and nutrition security in African city regions and reduce the food-system-related environmental footprint while contributing to circularity. INCiTiS-FOOD will co-create circular agri-food technologies, practices and business models that focus on soilless crop farming, recirculating aquaculture systems and insect farming. A core part of the project will be the establishment of eight Living Labs located in six countries across three African regions. The project will also empower communities through the Open Calls funding, supporting external Local Innovation Hubs.
Objective
Current African city region food systems fail to deliver food and nutrition security (FNS), health, and environmental sustainability. INCiTiS-FOOD develops scientifically underpinned circular agri-food technologies and practices, suitable for African cities. The context specific socio-technological use cases of INCiTiS-FOOD address the prevalent deficiency of animal sourced foods, vegetables and fruits. Hydroponics, aquaponics, and insect farming hold great promise because they require limited land, water, energy, wealth and reduce waste. Hydroponics and aquaponics infer soilless, circular vegetable and fish farming enterprises. Using an interdisciplinary approach, inclusive and scalable business models are developed for these enterprises, contributing to thriving and collaborative communities.
This circular food system thinking improves FNS, delivers safe, affordable, nutritious, and healthy food, reduces waste and the environmental footprint in African cities. INCiTiS-FOOD follows a multi-actor approach for co-design and co-creation of circular agri-food innovations and business models, involving 8 city Living Labs in 6 countries from 3 African regions (East: Kenya; West: Ghana, Nigeria, Sierra Leone; Central: Cameroon, Gabon). The project aims for its innovations and businesses to attain a technological, societal, and business readiness level of TRL-7, SRL-7, and BRL-5, respectively. INCiTiS-FOOD agri-food innovations and business models will be widely adopted because their research and innovation maturity are proven by a large-scale demonstration as part of the Cascade Fund (1,000,000€). International ecosystem building is promoted by the digital INCiTiS-FOOD Platform on SmartAgriHubs.eu to support African innovation actors. In strengthening resilience, inclusiveness, and FNS, INCiTiS-FOOD guides policy transformation by adhering to the EU Taxonomy Regulation and Milan Urban Food Policy Pact. The consortium is constituted with the EU-Africa dialogue in mind.
Fields of science
- agricultural sciencesagriculture, forestry, and fisheriesfisheries
- agricultural sciencesagriculture, forestry, and fisheriesagriculturehorticulturefruit growing
- social scienceseconomics and businessbusiness and managementbusiness models
- agricultural sciencesagriculture, forestry, and fisheriesagriculturehorticulturevegetable growing
- natural sciencesbiological scienceszoologyentomology
Keywords
Programme(s)
Funding Scheme
HORIZON-RIA - HORIZON Research and Innovation ActionsCoordinator
85579 Neubiberg
Germany
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Participants (22)
Lagos
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80333 Muenchen
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Freetown
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The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.
58636 Iserlohn
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47661 Issum
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The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.
943 Franceville
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200005 Ibadan
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40126 Bologna
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0000 Bamenda
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00101 Nairobi
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90115 Kangundo
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00100 Nairobi
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570 01 THERMI THESSALONIKI
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Legal entity other than a subcontractor which is affiliated or legally linked to a participant. The entity carries out work under the conditions laid down in the Grant Agreement, supplies goods or provides services for the action, but did not sign the Grant Agreement. A third party abides by the rules applicable to its related participant under the Grant Agreement with regard to eligibility of costs and control of expenditure.
21000 Novi Sad
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Tamale
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LT-08412 Vilnius
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The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.
80538 Munchen
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6708 PB Wageningen
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20115 Njoro Nakuru
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3511 JG Utrecht
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00100 Nairobi
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84105 Beer Sheva
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Partners (1)
8401 Winterthur
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