Food Systems Africa
Key Dates
Deadline: 23/01/2019
Planned opening date: 16/10/2018
2nd Stage Deadline: 04/09/2019
Specific Challenge
Improve sustainability and nutrition performance of agricultural systems, increase the range of food products for a balanced, healthy diet by strengthening the agro-biodiversity of resilient cropping systems.
Framed within population growth, nutritional imbalances and challenges associated with enhanced climate change.
Develop resource-efficient, resilient food value chains need to deliver sufficient, safe, affordable and nutritious food to local consumers and high value global markets.
Scope
Assess and deliver better nutrition performance of African farming systems, strengthening the agro-biodiversity (and integrated aquaculture systems) and food diversity.
Address innovative approaches in local food systems while covering technological, food safety, social and gender issues.
Address sustainable postharvest technologies, including bio-based packaging, to reduce food waste along the post-harvest/consumer chain and plastic littering.
Empowerment of small farmers (including aquafarmers) and processors benefitting rural areas leading to diversity of diets and improving food identity is essential.
Food supply chains (conventional and organic) for both local urban markets and high value global markets shall be targeted.
Multi Actor Approach
Proposals need to ensure the commitment and participation of a variety of partners established in the EU and in Africa
Establish relevant links with other projects involved in the EU-Africa Research and Innovation Partnership on Food and Nutrition Security & Sustainable Agriculture (FNSSA)
Proposals should include a task to cluster with other projects involved in the EU-Africa R&I Partnership on FNSSA and with the cooperation platform established under SFS-33-2018.
Expected Project Budget: €7M
Does not preclude submission and selection of proposals requesting other amounts.
Expected impacts
Derived from following frameworks
EU's Bioeconomy Strategy 2012
FOOD 2030 SWD
SDGs
1: No poverty;
2: Zero hunger;
3: Good health & wellbeing;
8: Decent work & economic growth;
10: Reduced inequalities;
12: Responsible consumption & production;
13: Climate action;
15: Life on land;
17: Partnerships for the goals.
Link
Cross-cutting priorities
Blue Growth
Gender
Responsible Research and Innovation
International cooperation
Socio-economic science and humanities
Proposals contribute towards
Improved food systems resulting in sustainable, healthy African diets (comparable to the Mediterranean diet), in short term are to become mainstream in 10 African cities;
Empowerment of small farmers (including aquafarmers) combined with sustainable growth of food chain operators (SMEs) in rural areas in Africa, both for internal markets and export;
New market opportunities for novel food products, tools and processes applicable in Africa that are taking into account food safety issues across the entire food value chain (e.g. improved food storage under mycotoxins free conditions) and reduce food waste;
Significant reduction of malnutrition in Africa and particularly in relation to children, including those within the first 1,000 days of life, by implementing nutritional recommendations (proportion/figures to be specified in the proposals as well as reflections on specific food strategies for crisis and civil war situations);
Major progress towards the establishment of the EU-Africa Research and Innovation Partnership on FNSSA and impact at local level
Development and implementation of pilot innovation actions for the benefit of African and European consumers at TRL 4-5
TRL4: Small scale prototype/technology
TRL5: Large scale prototype/technology
Signature of grant agreements: maximum 8 months from the deadline for submission.
5 Priorities
Addressing climate change and resilience on land and sea
Making the transition towards a circular bioeconomy
Fostering functional ecosystems, sustainable food systems, healthy lifestyles
Boosting major innovations on land and sea – new products, value chains and markets
Developing smart, connected territories and value chains in rural and coastal areas
Suggest coordination between projects financed under the same or related topics. Such coordination allows organising clusters of projects working on similar issues, to avoid duplication of efforts and to enable cross-fertilisation and synergies.
Make use of existing European research
infrastructures (including e-infrastructures) e.g. ERIC, ESFRI
Proposers are advised to consult information on the Copernicus programme in general at
http://copernicus.eu, the evolution topics identified there
EU-Africa R&I Partnership on FNSSA
Include civil society organisations
To allow this specific challenge to be addressed appropriately
Total budget available for LC-SFS-34-2019 (RIA): €21M
Due to the specific challenge of this topic, in addition to the minimum number of participants set out in the General Annexes proposals shall include at least four participants from a specific region of Africa (as defined by African Union) and a minimum of five participants from Africa
Research and Innovation action
Action primarily consisting of activities aiming to establish new knowledge and/or to explore the feasibility of a new or improved technology, product, process, service or solution.
For this purpose they may include basic and applied research, technology development and integration, testing and validation on a small-scale prototype in a laboratory or simulated environment.
Projects may contain closely connected but limited demonstration or pilot activities aiming to show technical feasibility in a near to operational environment.