Food-Energy-Water-Health Innovations for Sustainable Development in Africa

The FEAT4AFRICA project aims to boost food and nutrition security (FNS) in African urban areas by integrating agri-food technologies within a Living Lab (LL) network that will enable diffusion and acceptance of innovation. It seeks to improve urban food literacy, enabling residents to make informed decisions that benefit their health, environment, and communities. The project introduces low-cost, soilless and solar-powered food production systems—hydroponics, bioponics, aquaponics, and recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS)—to strengthen the Food-Water-Energy-Health Nexus and promote sustainable livelihoods while minimizing environmental impact. FEAT4AFRICA focuses to empower vulnerable groups, particularly women and youth, to integrate these agri-food technologies into urban value chains that support transformative food systems. The project employs transdisciplinary research, involving social sciences, economics, natural sciences, engineering, and civil society organizations. It emphasizes stakeholder-led co-creation of urban farming approaches, including city governments, within a Europe-Africa alliance. FEAT4AFRICA will co-create circular agri-food practices and business models to foster inclusive food systems in African cities and towns. It will employ a multi-actor approach in four LLs and two case studies across the five African regions: East (Ethiopia), West (Nigeria), Central (Cameroon), North (Tunisia), and South (Namibia and South Africa). It will collaborate with ongoing EU-funded projects like INCiTiS-FOOD, FS4Africa, and FrontAg Nexus and support stakeholder activities through dedicated funding and negotiations with city governments for community garden initiatives with 20-year land security rights. During its lifetime, FEAT4AFRICA aims to produce up to 2 tons of micronutrient-rich indigenous vegetables and 6 tons of fish (African catfish and/or tilapia) annually, sufficient to meet the vegetable and fish consumption needs of over 2,400 persons.