In a concerted effort to drive agricultural sustainability and catalyze green transitions across Sub-Saharan Africa, the Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA) and the Regional Universities Forum for Capacity Building in Agriculture (RUFORUM), in collaboration with the Agroecology Consortium, EC-Joint Research Centre (EC-JRC), and the EC Directorate General’s Department for International Partnerships (DG INTPA), have unveiled the Regional Multi-Actor Research Network (#RMRN_agroecology) Project.
The primary goal of this ambitious 36-month project is to strengthen the Science, Technology, and Innovation capacities of Regional Centres of Excellence (RCoEs) in agroecology. Through this initiative, stakeholders aim to facilitate a sustainable green transition within the region, addressing key challenges in agricultural development.
Funded by the European Union (EU) under its Regional Multi-year Indicative Programme (MIP) for Africa, the project will empower consortia of Africa-based institutions to lead interventions across various domains. These include fostering multi-stakeholder partnerships, promoting co-learning and co-creation, and adopting a multi-stakeholder approach to scale up agroecological innovations.
Aligned with the EU's commitment to the 2030 Agenda on Sustainable Development Goals, the Paris Agreement, and the Convention on Biological Diversity, the project seeks to contribute to eradicating poverty, reducing inequalities, and achieving sustainable development across the continent.
The project consortium comprises a coalition of Africa-based institutions, including FARA, CORAF, ASARECA, CCARDESA, universities within the RUFORUM Network, and other research entities. Additionally, it fosters partnerships with farmer organizations, extension institutions, NGOs, CSOs, the private sector, and financial institutions across Eastern, Western, Southern, and Central Africa.
Prof. Patrick Okori, Executive Secretary of RUFORUM, and Dr. Aggrey Agumya, leaders of the implementing institutions, underscore the project's significance in strengthening existing collaborations and synergies among African Agricultural Research, Education, and Innovation Institutions (AAREII). Mr. Ibrahim Gariba, representing the African Union Commission, pledges full commitment to realizing the project's objectives.
Anticipated outcomes at the project's conclusion include enhanced technical capacities of researchers, improved infrastructure access for quality research, establishment of knowledge exchange platforms, strengthened research-policy linkages, collaboration with the Pan-African Network for Economic Analysis of Policies (PANAP), and increased advocacy for agroecology principles and practices across Sub-Saharan Africa.
Article by Nyokabi Wanjiku
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