Highlight InnovAfrica: food security through smallholder adaptability

The project InnovAfrica  (2017-2021) will test, integrate, and disseminate potential sustainable agriculture intensification systems suitable to smallholders, institutional approaches (e.g. Multi Actor Platforms (MAPs) and integrated seed delivery systems) and extension and advisory services (e.g. dynamic knowledge platforms supported by smart phones, Village Knowledge centres, (VKCs) in six case study countries of Africa (Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Rwanda, Tanzania and South Africa) in cooperation with the relevant partners in Europe.

This project is funded from the European’s Union H2020 research and innovation programme under Grant Agreement No. 727201

The proposed interventions have significant potential to reduce the constraints and increase smallholders’ adaptability, agricultural productivity, profitability; and nutritional benefits while reducing negative environmental impacts and enhance FNS and sustainable agriculture in Africa.

Second project consortium meeting in Kigali, Rwanda,
13th February, 2018

The project has defined a set of six specific objectives and corresponding work packages, outputs and outcomes. A balanced multi-disciplinary expert team with varied backgrounds from research institutions, universities, government agencies, SMEs, farmer organizations and private sector from Europe and Africa, will systematically implement the various WPs.

A InnovAfrica team participated in the AgriResearch Conference organized by the EuropeanCommission at Brussels on the 2-3rd of May, 2018. The Project Coordinator Dr. Udaya Sekhar Nagothu (picture) shared information about the project with selected participants. Some of the technical briefs and project brochure was displayed at the conference stand by Dr. Mehreteab Tesfai as part of the project dissemination. 

Partners:

1. Norwegian Institute of Bioeconomy Research, NIBIO, Norway (Coordinator)
2. Biosciences eastern and central Africa-International Livestock Research Institute Hub, BecA-ILRI Hub, Kenya (Co-coordinator)
3. Haramaya University, HU, Ethiopia
4. Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization, KALRO, Kenya
5. Kenya National Farmers’ Federation, KENAFF, Kenya
6. University of Malawi, UoM, Malawi
7. Soils Food and Healthy Communities Organization, SFHC, Malawi
8. Rwanda Agriculture Board, RAB, Rwanda
9. Modern Dairy Farmers’ Cooperative, IAKIB, Rwanda
10. Sokoine University of Agriculture, SUA, Tanzania
11. Universita Degli Studi Della Tuscia, TU, Italy
12. Stichting Dienst Landbouwkundig Onderzoek, DLO-Alterra, Netherlands
13. Norwegian University of Life Sciences, NMBU, Norway
14. Agricultural Research Council, ARC, South Africa
15. CIMMYT-South Africa Regional Office, CIMMYT, Zimbabwe
16. Knowledge Intelligence Applications GmbH, KIAG, Germany