of 1460 days
of 393 proposed deliverables completed
of 25 storytelling youth ambassadors
cities
project partners
Launched in December 2022, AfriFOODlinks is an EU funded project*. Coordinated by ICLEI Africa, the project gathers 26 partners across the globe to improve food security and urban sustainability in 65+ cities in Africa and Europe by:
Applying an urban food systems lens to promote shifts to healthy, sustainable diets
Transforming urban food environments through real-world socio-technical experiments
Promoting inclusive multi-actor governance to empower public officials, small businesses and communities with ownership and agency to shape their food systems
Accelerating innovative, women- and youth-led agri-food businesses to support local value addition and inclusive economic participation
AfriFOODlinks aims to address the systemic underpinnings of food insecurity and environmental impact, to lead to real transformation. The project views urban food environments as the key area for improving nutrition and reducing environmental impact in African cities because this is where residents make the choices about the food they eat. It is also where the food security priorities of food availability, access, agency, utilisation and stability manifest.
Shapes the way in which food is produced, processed, transported and arrives at the consumer, how it is purchased, stored, prepared and consumed. The form of infrastructure has direct implications for food quality and safety, greenhouse gas emissions, loss and waste, and consumer behaviours.
Drives many of the food choices by residents and is influenced by education on sustainable healthy diets and nutrition, cultural and religious norms and by marketing and advertising present in urban environments.
Shapes preferences through new retail and food experiences and applies both to formal and informal businesses, both of which display a form of flexibility not currently possible in government bureaucracies. It also contributes to increasing the local availability of diverse, improved food products.
By improving business innovation, infrastructure investment, and shaping cultural preference, AfriFOODlinks expects to contribute systemically to the realisation of fair, equitable, healthy and environmentally friendly urban food systems from primary production to consumption.
READ MOREAfriFOODlinks is consciously framed around a particular set of values, as so much of the food we are eating is a legacy of an extractive colonial history that was based on a particular form of economy. It deliberately looks toward African knowledge to shift the multiple ways in which cities function.
The project’s LINCS value framework is about reframing how our societies and economies work, activated by engagements with food, as food is deeply values-oriented, representing humanity, culture, aspirations, celebration and society. The name LINCS reminds us of one of the project’s central themes: the need to build more and stronger linkages in cities. LINCS represents systems thinking: by understanding the causal relationships between elements in a system, we can better understand the overarching system behaviours, and target our interventions at these.
We make use of Adinkra symbols of the Akan peoples in West Africa for each value. These are aligned with the symbol’s meaning or essence.
The project stresses the value of experiential learning and that multiple ways of knowing are welcomed, deemed of equal value, and can be connected to enhance understanding. “NEA ONNIM NO SUA A, OHU” - "He who does not know can know from learning"
Inclusivity and deliberate engagement and empowerment of communities will enhance their agency and participation in decision-making for a people-centred and informed research, policy and practice. “FUNTUNFUNEFU-DENKYEMFUNEFU” - “Unity in diversity”
Sustainability is articulated both as the overarching global imperative to ensure economic, environmental and social wellbeing, and as the ethos that every project intervention must aim to become self-sustaining. “SANKOFA”- The backwards turning bird symbolises returning while looking forward.
Represents the embracing of the new or unexpected, which necessarily requires diverse expertise, skills and perspectives. It includes the dismantling of inappropriate systems in favour of traditional or indigenous practices. “UAC NKANEA” - “UAC lights” symbolises technological advancement.
To successfully ensure transdisciplinary work, societal actors must be continuously engaged to co-define the research objectives and questions, and to continuously contribute to meaning-making with the researcher as the research progresses. “BOA ME NA ME MMOA WO” - "Help me and let me help you".
AfriFOODlinks invests in direct food system change in 5 African Hub Cities and invites 10 African and 5 European Sharing Cities to join them on a mutual-learning journey, to share their innovative food systems work and to co-design pilot projects for implementation in each Sharing City.
Through a diverse set of AfriFOODlinks interventions, these cities will become beacons of inspiration for urban food systems transitions across the continent. Novel practices, methodological guides, and public awareness toolkits will be developed and shared with 45+ Network Cities in Africa, Europe and Global South regions, who can adopt, adapt and replicate outcomes.
European cities
African
cities
Hub
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AfriFOODlinks is delivered by 26 partners who represent an even mix of research institutions, food systems practitioners, city networks and advocacy organisations. The project is coordinated by ICLEI Africa and funded by the EU*.
ICLEI - Local Governments for Sustainability is a global network of more than 2 500 cities and regions committed to sustainable urban development. ICLEI Africa continues to enlarge its footprint in Africa, reaching over 450 cities and regions in 53 countries, across the various development agendas, aligning with African and global policies, and contextualising our work within the realities of our continent. We influence sustainability policy and drive local action for low emission, nature-based, equitable, resilient and circular development.
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The European Research Executive Agency is a funding body for research and innovation. It manages EU research grants.
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