Project description
Enhancing diversity of food production and consumption in Africa
The EU-funded FOODLAND project will adopt interdisciplinary research methods to enhance the diversity of food production and consumption in six African countries. The project will create a network of 14 local Food Hubs - paired with 14 separate cities - to mobilise relevant actors in urban and peri-urban communities and serve as injection points for introducing innovations. By bridging food production with consumption, the project will reinforce the productivity and resilience of food supply chains and create new market opportunities at both the local and global scales. Benefiting both African and European consumers, the project aims to provide them with traditional-based, healthy, nutritious foods, while encouraging the diffusion of African diets and aiding the fight against malnutrition, particularly in women and children.
Objective
FOODLAND aims at enhancing the diversity of food production and consumption in six African countries displaying different stages of the nutrition transition. To this end, FOODLAND will create a network of 14 local Food Hubs that will aggregate relevant actors and serve as injection points for the introduction of innovations.
FOODLAND has identified specific objectives addressing the organizational, technological, and nutritional needs of the local African food systems to be reached during the four-year project duration: 1. to detect behaviour and preferences of consumers and producers, in order to customize innovations to local sensitiveness; 2. to develop and implement organizational innovations, aimed at boosting coordination among food operators; 3. to develop, test, and validate (open) technological innovations in laboratory and in the field; 4. to disseminate knowledge of solutions towards malnutrition reduction and innovations. Through participative approaches in the Food Hubs, FOODLAND will create and validate (TRL 5) 12 prototypes for crop and fish farming and food processing systems that will deliver 17 novel food products. FOODLAND will empower smallholder farmers and food operators, will foster nutrition-responsive and sustainable agro-biodiversity, will reinforce the productivity and resilience of food supply chains, and will create new market opportunities at both the local and global scales, thereby encouraging the flourishing of rural communities. These achievements will benefit both African and European consumers by providing them with traditional-based, healthy, nutritious foods, while encouraging the diffusion of African diets and aiding the fight against malnutrition, particularly in women and children.
Fields of science
Keywords
Programme(s)
Topic(s)
Funding Scheme
RIA - Research and Innovation actionCoordinator
40126 Bologna
Italy
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Participants (28)
3003 Bern
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DD2 5DA Dundee
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2000 Frederiksberg
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50000 Meknes
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4042 Sousse
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1082 Tunis
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Mekelle
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00100 Nairobi
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Morogoro
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256 Kampala
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MST 1761 Mosta
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The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.
295 Entebbe
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40103 Kisumu
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20170 Usurbil
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The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.
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.
20170 Usurbil
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The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.
40122 Bologna
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20 Mekelle
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Kampala
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00100 Nairobi
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80001 Zürich
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28100 Novara
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23000 Beni Mellal
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90200 Kitui
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10400 Mweiga
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6559 MOROGORO
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3132 Kampala
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The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.
Participation ended
8140 Fernana
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66386 St Ingbert
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The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.