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Using technology and new foods to combat malnutrition in Africa
Image: Margaret Lelea.The Upgrade Plus project aims to improve nutrition in sub-Saharan Africa by contributing to more robust food processing and opening up new, previously rarely used plants and animals as food. Case studies are taking place in Sierra Leone, Ghana and Nigeria.
To date, a significant proportion of crops are lost in emerging markets, despite the fact that a large proportion of the population is malnourished. Women of childbearing age and young children are particularly affected. New food processing technologies specifically adapted to the needs of smallholder agriculture are intended to change this.
For example, scientists are using solar-powered technologies made from locally available materials to better process edible crops after harvest; this reduces the risk of supplies spoiling. At the same time, mothers are trained on how to operate these machines and better store and process food. Together with the women, the scientists are also developing concepts for small-scale use and commercialization of the produce. Finally, the project also recommends previously neglected plant and animal species as food that have yet to be identified.
The project has been running since January 2018 until Dec. 31, 2020, and receives funding of 1.1 million euros from the German Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture. The University of Kassel's share is around 770,000 euros.
Project partners are the University for Development Studies in Ghana, Njala University in Sierra Leone, the National Horticultural Research Institute in Nigeria, the German Institute for Tropical and Subtropical Agriculture and Innotech Ingenieursgesellschaft mbH.
Contact:
Dr. Barbara Sturm
University of Kassel
Department of Agricultural Engineering
Tel.: +49 5542 981-1603
E-mail: Barbara.Sturm[at]uni-kassel[dot]de