German Ministry for Food and Agriculture (BMEL) session at the Tropentag

18 September 2018. Gent, Belgium. Tropentag 2018. German Ministry for Food and Agriculture (BMEL) session at the Tropentag

Chair: Silvia Dietz, Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture (BMEL), Head of Division Research and Innovation, Germany

Panel discussion: 

• Does Diversified Agricultural Production Automatically Lead to Improved Nutrition? Research projects supported by the Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture, BMEL Web-Version (html) 
• Keynote to the Panel Discussion: Does Diversified Agricultural Production Automatically Lead to Improved Nutrition? Web-Version (html)

Related: 

In June 2016 The German Ministry for Food and Agriculture (BMEL) and The Federal Office for Agriculture and Food (BLE) launch a call on: “Innovative approaches of food processing in sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia to improve nutrition and to reduce food losses in quality and quantity” For this call the BLE organised an international expert workshop to identify the actual research needs and to evaluate the state of the art in this field. (14-15 April 2016. Bonn, Germany)

Following projects have been selected:

UPGRADE Plus Decentralised processing of rarely used plant and animal raw materials into innovative products with high added value to improve the nutritional situation in West Africa

Duration: 15.10.2017 to 31.12.202

Partners:

1. Universität Kassel, Ökologische Agrarwissenschaften, Fachgebiet Agrartechnik, Witzenhausen Germany (Coordinator) 
2. University of Development Studies (UDS), Department of  Irrigation and Mechanization Technology, Faculty of Agriculture, Nyankpala Campus, Ghana 
3. Njala University (NU), Department of Biological Sciences, Freetown, Sierra Leone  
4. National Horticultural Research Institute (NIHORT), Ibadan, Nigeria  
5. Innotech Ingenieurgesellschaft mbH, Altdorf, Germany
6. Deutsches Institut für tropische und subtropische Landwirtschaft (DITSL), Witzenhausen, Germany 

Objective: Based on three case studies (Ghana, Nigeria, Sierra Leone), the project aims to improve the nutrition of women, infants and young children and at the same time to create opportunities for income generation with a focus on women's self-help groups in West Africa.

FruVaSe Year-round availability of fruit and vegetables through resource-efficient processing and new marketing opportunities as instruments to promote rural development in sub-Saharan Africa

Duration: 01.05.2018 - 31.08.2021
Partners:

• Georg-August-Universität Göttingen (UGOE), Göttingen, Germany (Coordinator) 
• Nelson Mandela University (NM AIST), Nelson Mandela Institute of Science and Technology, Arusha, Tanszania
• Makerere University (MUG), School of Food Technology, Nutrition & Bio-Engineering, Kampala, Uganda 
• University of Nairobi (UoN), Department of Plant Science and Crop Protection, Nairobi, Kenya  
• University of Eldoret (UoE), Department of Seed, Crop and Horticultural Sciences, Eldoret, Kenya 
• Fachhochschule Erfurt (EUAS), Erfurt, Germany 

Objective: The project aims to counteract the lack of vitamins and minerals in human nutrition as well as the fruit and vegetable waste generated in the value chain in sub-Saharan Africa and to develop approaches to improve the otherwise often limited availability of fruit and vegetables due to seasonality and long distances between growing regions and consumption centres. In detail, the research project will (i) select the most nutritionally promising fruit and vegetable species, focusing on cashew apple, guava, jackfruit and green leafy vegetables; (ii) Develop and evaluate new and traditional technologies for processing and shelf life extension.

PROCINUT Processing edible insects for an improved nutritional situation

Duration: 01.05.2021 - 31.08.2021
Partners:

1. Center for Development Research (ZEF), University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany (Coordinator), 
2. International Centre for Sustainable Development, University of Applied Sciences Bonn-Rhein Sieg (IZNE), Sankt Augustin, Germany
3. Yezin Agricultural University (YAU), Myanmar
4. Spectrum - Sustainable Development Knowledge Network (Spectrum SDKN), Yangon, Myanmar
5. Mahidol University (MU), Phutthamonthon Nakhon Pathom Thailand
6. University of Antananarivo (UoA), Madagascar
7. Centre National de la Recherche Appliquée au Développement Rural (FOFIFA), Antananarivo, Madagascar 
8. Welthungerhilfe, Antananarivo, Madagascar 
9. International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (ICIPE), Nairobi, Kenya

Objective: The project aims to better exploit the nutritional potential of edible insects. It investigates different processing technologies of local insect species and expands small-scale commercial production and processing activities. The aim is to produce safe, nutritious end products that close seasonal gaps, increase household food security and improve the income situation of poor women in Madagascar and Myanmar.

WALF Pack Application of new packaging solutions to reduce food losses in West Africa by extending the shelf life of local perishable foods

Duration: 01.09.2017 - 30.09.2020
Partners:

• Universität Bonn, Landwirtschaftliche Fakultät, Institut für Ernährungs- und Lebensmittelwissenschaften, Lehrstuhl Lebensmittelverfahrenstechnik (UoB/IEL),Bonn, Germany (Coordinator) 
• University of Abomey-Calavi, Faculty of Agronomic Sciences (FSA/UAC),Abomey-Calavi, Benin 

Objective: The aim of the project is to extend the shelf life of perishable food products widely used in West Africa through new cost-effective packaging solutions. The studies will be carried out with the following products: "Waragashi", a traditional cheese made from cow's milk, reed rat meat (Thyronomys spp.) and African aubergine (Solanum macrocarpon), a leafy vegetable. The use of simple packaging solutions to prevent damage during transport and prolong the shelf life of food can lead to a significant reduction in waste in food production.

Vegi-Leg Implementation of innovative processing technologies for nutrient-rich plant foods for year-round food security: country comparison between East and South East Africa 

Duration: 01.09.2018 - 30.11.2021
Partners:

• Leibniz Centre for Agricultural Research (ZALF) Müncheberg, Germany (Coordinator) 
• Sokoine University of Agriculture (SUA), Morogoro, Tanzania
• Small Industries Development Organization (SIDO), Lindi, Tanzania 
• Mozambique Institute of Agricultural Research (IIAM), Mozambique 
• Community Council Maganja da Costa (CMC), Mozambique  
• Nema Foundation (NEM), Cabo Delgado, Mozambique
• Universidade Lúrio (UNILÚRIO), Nampula, Mozambique
• University of Hohenheim (UHOH),  Hohenheim, Germany

Objective: To provide food security throughout the year to the rural population groups affected by anaemia and malnutrition in Tanzania (TC) and Mozambique (MC). The development of gentle processing technologies and the conservation of nutritious, micronutrient-rich plant foods (iron, vitamin A) and thus the food value chain and the long-term food situation in the respective regions are to be sustainably improved.