We are delighted to announce the official start of CANALLS, under the Horizon Europe programme, which aims to drive agroecological transitions in the humid tropics of Central and Eastern Africa via multi-actor transdisciplinary Agroecology Living Labs (ALLs). The project started in January 2023 and will last 48 months. On February 21 st – 23rd 2023, the project’s kick-off meeting (KoM) was held in Nairobi, Kenya. During the meeting, all partners presented their involvement and responsibilities in the project and shared their ideas and ambitions for a successful implementation to achieve the specific project objectives.
The humid tropics of Central and Eastern Africa hold much promise for enhancing food and nutritional security within and beyond Africa. With a rich variety of agroecological zones and diverse farming systems, they are home to a great part of the rural population and a large diversity of living organisms, offering vital ecosystem services and potential for sustainable development. Still, if we are to tap into this potential, we need to address the complex environmental, social, and economic challenges they face, which in some cases are exacerbated by conflict and high vulnerability. In this context, CANALLS aims to drive agroecological transitions in the humid tropics of Central and Eastern Africa via multi-actor transdisciplinary Agroecology Living Labs (ALLs) and providing holistic agroecological solutions that meet
the challenges of the local food systems.
The CANALLS consortium, led by Centre de cooperation international en recherche agronomique pour le developpement (CIRAD), consists of 16 partners and 2 associated partners across 7 European countries and 6 African countries (France, Germany, Norway, Greece, Belgium, Switzerland, United Kingdom, Nigeria, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Cameroon, Burundi, Rwanda, Uganda). The consortium members are: French Agricultural Research Centre for International Development (CIRAD), International institute of tropical agriculture (IITA), University of Hohenheim (UHOH), the Norwegian institute of bioeconomy research (NIBIO), Q-PLAN International Advisors PC (Q-PLAN), RIKOLTO International (RIKOLTO), Catholic University of Bukavu, Farmers association for integrated development in south KIVU (APDIK), Institute of agricultural research for development (IRAD), Cooperative society with board of cassava administration (SCOOPMAN), Burundi institute of agronomic sciences (ISABU), RWANDA agriculture and animal resources development board (RAB), COPED LTD, MAGGOT FARM PRODUCTION LTD, African forum for agricultural advisory services (AFAAS), NATURLAND-Association for organic agriculture, ETH Zurich (ETHZ), African agricultural technology foundation (AATF).
“We had a great start of the project. As one of the participants said, we formed a new family for the coming four years. I met a highly motivated team. Together we will work on science and evidence-based solutions and strategies for an agroecological transition in the humid tropics of Africa.” commented Mr. Marc Corbeels, CIRAD – CANALLS Project Coordinator. All project activities will be published on the project’s social media accounts. Stay tuned!