AfriFOOD Links
Project
The project brings together 26 partners around the world to improve food security and urban sustainability in over 65 cities in Africa and Europe through:
the application of urban food systems to promote the transition to healthy and sustainable diets; the transformation of urban food environments through real-world socio-technical experiments; promoting inclusive multi-actor governance to give public officials, small businesses and communities the ownership and power to shape their own food systems; support for innovative agri-food businesses, led by women and young people, to support local value addition and inclusive economic participation.
Start date: 01/12/2022
End date: 30/11/2026
Partnership
ICLEI AFRICA (South Africa), ICLEI European Secretariat Gmbh (Germany), ICLEI Local Government for Sustainability (Germany), Univeristy of Capetown (South Africa), Municipality of Milan (Italy), Stichting Hivos (Netherlands), Rikolto International (Belgium), Shona Group Limited (Uganda), Food Rights Alliance (Uganda), South African Urban Food and Farming Trust (South Africa), Cirad (France), University of Ghana (Ghana), African Population & Health Research Center Kenya (Kenya), Kisumu Local Interaction Platform Trust (Kenya), ESTà Economy and Sustainability (Italy), Global Consumer Center (Uganda), City of Tunis (Tunisia), City of Mbale (Uganda), city of Ouagadougou (Burkina Faso), City of Cape Town (South Africa ), city of Kisumu (Kenya)
objectives
Improving food and nutrition security, while reducing food-related environmental impacts, and increasing resilience in five African cities. AfriFOOD-Links aims to address these challenges through the implementation and promotion of the following actions: creation of a monitoring system for urban food systems; promotion of a multi-stakeholder governance system within urban food systems; promotion of an environment favorable to the establishment of innovative agri-food businesses by young people in the area to support a more inclusive economy.
Actions
As part of the project, the Municipality of Milan will undertake to mainly carry out the following activities:
• Creation of 5 knowledge hubs formed by the five Hub cities, the 10 African sharing cities and the 5 European cities for the sharing and dissemination of the practical and theoretical results of the project
• Organization of a program of exchange visits between cities: two focal points from each city will visit the three cities of their hub during the first half of the project
• Support in drafting a pilot project at the end of each exchange visit, using the specific challenges and opportunities identified by the host city and observed by visitors during the exchange visits
• Organize a series of sessions and side events at international events (including MUFPP Global and Regional Fora) aimed at policymakers, researchers and officials on the relevance of urban food systems in relation to the results and opportunities of AfriFOOD-Links
Expected results
- Learning through experience
- Improving the inclusiveness and strength of communities
- Sustainability as a vehicle for economic, environmental and social well-being
- The expansion of the range of capabilities and perspectives
- A significant collaboration between researchers