Periodic Reporting for period 2 - LEAP-AGRI (A long term EU-Africa research and innovation partnership on food and nutrition security and sustainable agriculture)
Reporting period: 2018-06-01 to 2022-11-30
The food and nutrition challenges facing Africa and Europe are not identical, nevertheless the two continents have to face global changes, including human growth, and they both have to adapt their agricultural practices and food systems to preserve the earth's resources and ensure food for the world's population.
The ERA-NET Cofund LEAP-Agri was launched following the recommendation of the European Union – African Union (AU-EU) High Level Policy Dialogue (HLPD) on STI (Science, Technology and Innovation) for its first priority “Food and nutrition security and sustainable agriculture” (FNSSA). The global aim was to participate to the United Nations’s 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In this view the program had two pillars, (i) funding R&I projects on FNSSA that should contribute to SDG’S and (ii) give recommendations and feed for the long-term AU-EU partnership on FNSSA. LEAP-Agri cofunded 27 R&I projects involving 83 teams from Africa, 75 teams from Europe and48 associated but not funded international teams. Despite the pandemic issues, all projects finished fulfilling their main aims and targets. Furthermore, LEAP-Agri allowed the building of strong R&I bicontinental consortia, which would be ready to pursue the collaborations. Regarding the recommendations, LEAP-Agri produced formal documents which should deserve further bicontinental collaborations, proposing focus research topics within HLPD priorities, funding and collaboratives recommendations for future AU-EU recommendations. At the end of the program, the challenge of conducting research projects involving large consortia of funders and researchers has been successfully met, paving the way for future initiatives.
The ERA-NET Cofund LEAP-Agri was launched following the recommendation of the European Union – African Union (AU-EU) High Level Policy Dialogue (HLPD) on STI (Science, Technology and Innovation) for its first priority “Food and nutrition security and sustainable agriculture” (FNSSA). The global aim was to participate to the United Nations’s 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In this view the program had two pillars, (i) funding R&I projects on FNSSA that should contribute to SDG’S and (ii) give recommendations and feed for the long-term AU-EU partnership on FNSSA. LEAP-Agri cofunded 27 R&I projects involving 83 teams from Africa, 75 teams from Europe and48 associated but not funded international teams. Despite the pandemic issues, all projects finished fulfilling their main aims and targets. Furthermore, LEAP-Agri allowed the building of strong R&I bicontinental consortia, which would be ready to pursue the collaborations. Regarding the recommendations, LEAP-Agri produced formal documents which should deserve further bicontinental collaborations, proposing focus research topics within HLPD priorities, funding and collaboratives recommendations for future AU-EU recommendations. At the end of the program, the challenge of conducting research projects involving large consortia of funders and researchers has been successfully met, paving the way for future initiatives.
The project started on 1st December 2016 for a 5 years duration, and was extended one year mostly for pandemic reasons. It involved 30 partners, including 24 Ministries and Funding Agencies from 18 European and African countries, which decided to join their forces and financial supports, with the financial support of the European Commission.
All 24 funding agencies defined the priorities and text for the R&I cofounded call for proposals on FNSSA of LEAP-Agri.
Twenty-seven projects were selected for funding by the Group of Funders. A total budget of 22,7 Mi€ has been dedicated to the funding of the projects. The European Commission contribution (33% of the total budget) was allocated to the funding agencies so that they could fulfil their commitments related to the teams in the 27 selected projects.
Even deeply impacted by covid pandemic which hampered all exchanges between Africa and Europe, all face to face meeting (students, stakeholders’ events, capacity building …); disturbed or hampered field trials and laboratory experiments, all projects ended with numerous outputs and outcomes :
• 742 transnational cooperation and mobility actions
• 915 dissemination actions (workshops, seminars, promotional material)
• 512 publications (included “in preparation”, “submitted” and “accepted/published”), from which 179 published documents in peer-reviewed literature
• 173 scientific and innovation products
Furthermore, the consortia have already developed or plan to develop new activities, including R&I projects, capacity building and knowledge sharing and operational structures and systems.
Regarding the additional activities aiming at designing long-term AU-EU collaborations, the consortium of LEAP-Agri produced three public documents:
• Feeding the AU-EU long term partnership in Research and Innovation on FNSSA
• Report on lessons learned from exploring new modalities for collaboration and alignment” is based on the analysis and synthesis of a survey from LEAP-Agri members
• Report on lessons learned from exploring new modalities for collaboration and alignment
Based on LEAP-Agri experience, other funding initiatives, strategic R&I agendas and various global analysis for FNSSA, these documents provide recommendations for the future on agricultural practices, species of interest for FNSSA in changing climate conditions, on access to seeds as well as farm development, management of soil erosion and of water access, improving nutrition, food security and the financial income of farmers (all documents).
The LEAP-Agri consortium found that the bi-continental STI cooperation is an effective level for agroecological programs, but within this frame one as to ensure that the defined topics at the bi continental level are in accordance with the R&I national research priorities.
LEAP-Agri partners suggest that R&I funded projects should contribute to face the common AU-EU challenges of scaling farms, which will be economic viable, ensure well-being of animals, farmers and consumers, improve nutrition and food security, limit greenhouse gas emission and global warming, promote biodiversity and protect soils and natural resources. (D1.6)
In relation with the HLPD roadmap they confirm that there is a strong need for defining cross cutting themes (D6.2 D6.1).
They propose that in the future initiatives there is an equilibrium of funding the continuation of previous projects and funding new ones (D6.1 D6.2)
During the life time of LEAP-Agri, two meetings were organized for involving more stakeholders in the R&I projects from the identification of the topics to implementations of the projects, their participation to the projects and the use of their outputs and outcomes. The first one “LEAP-Agri Knowledge Sharing and Stakeholders Engagement Matchmaking event” (virtual event 15-16/12/2021) aimed at facilitating as soon as possible the transfer and appropriation of research results by relevant stakeholders, the second one in the frame of the LEAP-Agri Final Conference “requests from different actors of the FNSSA sector for further AU-EU partnership on FNSSA” on 28/10/2022 aimed at recording stakeholders’ (private, farmers association, researchers’ networks...) needs and recommendation for further bicontinental collaborations and programs on FNSSA.
All 24 funding agencies defined the priorities and text for the R&I cofounded call for proposals on FNSSA of LEAP-Agri.
Twenty-seven projects were selected for funding by the Group of Funders. A total budget of 22,7 Mi€ has been dedicated to the funding of the projects. The European Commission contribution (33% of the total budget) was allocated to the funding agencies so that they could fulfil their commitments related to the teams in the 27 selected projects.
Even deeply impacted by covid pandemic which hampered all exchanges between Africa and Europe, all face to face meeting (students, stakeholders’ events, capacity building …); disturbed or hampered field trials and laboratory experiments, all projects ended with numerous outputs and outcomes :
• 742 transnational cooperation and mobility actions
• 915 dissemination actions (workshops, seminars, promotional material)
• 512 publications (included “in preparation”, “submitted” and “accepted/published”), from which 179 published documents in peer-reviewed literature
• 173 scientific and innovation products
Furthermore, the consortia have already developed or plan to develop new activities, including R&I projects, capacity building and knowledge sharing and operational structures and systems.
Regarding the additional activities aiming at designing long-term AU-EU collaborations, the consortium of LEAP-Agri produced three public documents:
• Feeding the AU-EU long term partnership in Research and Innovation on FNSSA
• Report on lessons learned from exploring new modalities for collaboration and alignment” is based on the analysis and synthesis of a survey from LEAP-Agri members
• Report on lessons learned from exploring new modalities for collaboration and alignment
Based on LEAP-Agri experience, other funding initiatives, strategic R&I agendas and various global analysis for FNSSA, these documents provide recommendations for the future on agricultural practices, species of interest for FNSSA in changing climate conditions, on access to seeds as well as farm development, management of soil erosion and of water access, improving nutrition, food security and the financial income of farmers (all documents).
The LEAP-Agri consortium found that the bi-continental STI cooperation is an effective level for agroecological programs, but within this frame one as to ensure that the defined topics at the bi continental level are in accordance with the R&I national research priorities.
LEAP-Agri partners suggest that R&I funded projects should contribute to face the common AU-EU challenges of scaling farms, which will be economic viable, ensure well-being of animals, farmers and consumers, improve nutrition and food security, limit greenhouse gas emission and global warming, promote biodiversity and protect soils and natural resources. (D1.6)
In relation with the HLPD roadmap they confirm that there is a strong need for defining cross cutting themes (D6.2 D6.1).
They propose that in the future initiatives there is an equilibrium of funding the continuation of previous projects and funding new ones (D6.1 D6.2)
During the life time of LEAP-Agri, two meetings were organized for involving more stakeholders in the R&I projects from the identification of the topics to implementations of the projects, their participation to the projects and the use of their outputs and outcomes. The first one “LEAP-Agri Knowledge Sharing and Stakeholders Engagement Matchmaking event” (virtual event 15-16/12/2021) aimed at facilitating as soon as possible the transfer and appropriation of research results by relevant stakeholders, the second one in the frame of the LEAP-Agri Final Conference “requests from different actors of the FNSSA sector for further AU-EU partnership on FNSSA” on 28/10/2022 aimed at recording stakeholders’ (private, farmers association, researchers’ networks...) needs and recommendation for further bicontinental collaborations and programs on FNSSA.
The LEAP-Agri project was innovative for most African participants and this EU AU partnership has paved the way to fruitful collaborations for funding bicontinental R&I projects. The 27 projects produced more outputs and outcomes than expected in terms of scientific and technical publications but also in terms of knowledge dissemination and innovation products, already implemented for the final users. More precisely progress have been made in term of scientific and innovations products in the following areas : génotypes; value Chain platforms, governance of value Chain, policy support, animal disease control policies, réduction of micotoxins, application for Android, Internet of Things, Sensing Platform, green energy, sensors, plasma plant, innovation hubs, MOOC. The financial support of LEAP-Agri has strengthened researchers’ networks, and most of them are already involved in new common initiatives.In the long term, the results of LEAP-Agri have the potential to support policy development at both national and AU/EU levels, particularly with regard to political priorities. The LEAP-Agri research community has actively participated in the "Farm to Fork Strategy" for a fair, healthy and environmentally friendly food system in Europe and beyond and the results of the 27 R&I projects support the transformation of the food systems considering local as well bicontinental contexts.