Project: Strengthening African FOOD Systems in the face of climate change and food insecurity

Acronym	SAFOODS (Reference Number: FOSC-095)
Duration	01/06/2021 - 31/05/2024
Project Topic	Food and nutrition insecurity is a worldwide problem that particularly affects Sub-Saharan Africa today. By 2050 West African countries will face rapid demographic growth and urbanization while stronger climate-related constraints on food systems (FS); hence the urgent need to propose adaptations of African FS. Despite their importance for health, surprisingly fruits and vegetables (F&V) are poorly considered in most food security and climate change studies. SAFOODS project considers the need for reshaping West-African F&V FS to sustainably contribute to food and nutrition security, with an emphasis on small farmers and poor urban consumers. The main objective is to assess climate change-related risks on F&V FS and to co-design innovations with actors of food chains. The project will focus on two city-region FS in two countries with contrasting food security challenges and a gradient of climatic situations: Dakar and Ziguinchor in Senegal, Yamoussoukro and Abidjan in Ivory Coast. SAFOODS approach is to work upstream to downstream, starting from urban consumers’ diets then tracing back and mapping the food chains, identifying flows of wastes and losses and critical points where climate change may threaten those food chains, and then co-design with actors solutions to address vulnerabilities. Steps include i) analysis of city-region FS, ii) projection of FS under climate change by 2050, and iii) co-design of innovations for more resilient FS. Using mixed methodologies (surveys, maps, food chains and FS analysis, simulations with quantitative models, foresights with actors) outputs will include scientific knowledge, identification of innovations, capacity building and an overall shared vision with actors of African FS for the future. An interdisciplinary consortium (agronomy, food science, nutrition, economy and policy science) comprises ISRA-Bame (Senegal), NRI (United Kingdom), UNA (Côte d'Ivoire) and CIRAD (France), with CIRAD as the Project Coordinator.
Network	FOSC
Call	1st FOSC Joint Cofund Call

Project partner

Number	Name	Role	Country
1	Centre de coopération internationale en recherche agronomique pour le développement	Coordinator	France
2	Natural Resources Institute, University of Greenwich	Partner	United Kingdom
3	Institut Sénégalais de Recherches Agricoles	Partner	Senegal
4	Nangui Abrogoua University	Partner	Côte d'Ivoire