UrbanFoodPlus
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African-German partnership to increase resource efficiency and food security in (peri)urban agriculture in West African cities
Coordination: Prof. A. Bürkert,Prof. B. Marschner
Strengthening food security in Africa requires not only sustainable increases in productivity in the often large rural areas with multiple land use constraints, but also in areas with a much higher potential. (Peri-)urban areas offer particular opportunities for such productivity increases. Due to direct market access, close and dynamic relationships between producers and consumers of food and the high willingness of producers and markets to adapt, they already produce 5 - 36% of the total food demand and up to 90% of the vegetable demand of African cities. The income generated in urban/peri-urban agriculture and its upstream and downstream sectors benefits very different population groups along often complex value chains. The aim of the multi- and interdisciplinary research network UrbanFoodPlus, in which German, African and international research centers work closely with representatives of the private sector, is to develop measures to increase agricultural production, food security and value creation that benefit broad sections of the population. A particular focus is on the poverty-reducing components of UPA, product certification, resource efficiency, the empowerment of ethnic minorities and the participation of women. The initial research locations are Ouagadougou in Burkina Faso and Tamale in Ghana. In the course of the project, the research work will be extended to Bamako in Mali and Bamenda in Cameroon. Through controlled and on-farm trials, farmer field schools and continuous dialog with producers, traders and representatives of the city administrations concerned, current weaknesses in the production and marketing of (peri-)urban food products are to be identified and improvement measures examined together with those involved. An International Graduate School structures the scientific training and further education of international employees within the project framework.