FoodLAND PROJECT

The FOOD and Local, Agricultural, and Nutritional Diversity (FoodLAND) project aims at enhancing the diversity of food production and consumption in six African countries displaying different stages of the nutrition transition. To this end, FOODLAND will create a network of 14 local Food Hubs that will aggregate relevant actors and serve as injection points for the introduction of innovations. FOODLAND has identified specific objectives addressing the organizational, technological, and nutritional needs of the local African food systems to be reached during the four-year project duration: 1. to detect behaviour and preferences of consumers and producers, in order to customize innovations to local sensitiveness; 2. to develop and implement organizational innovations, aimed at boosting coordination among food operators; 3. to develop, test, and validate (open) technological innovations in laboratory and in the field; 4. to disseminate knowledge of solutions towards malnutrition reduction and innovations. Through participative approaches in the Food Hubs, FOODLAND will create and validate 12 prototypes for crop and fish farming and food processing systems that will deliver novel food products. FOODLAND will empower smallholder farmers and food operators, will foster nutrition-responsive and sustainable agro-biodiversity, will reinforce the productivity and resilience of food supply chains, and will create new market opportunities at both the local and global scales, thereby encouraging the flourishing of rural communities. These achievements will benefit both African and European consumers by providing them with traditional-based, healthy, nutritious foods, while encouraging the diffusion of African diets and aiding the fight against malnutrition, particularly in women and children. The FoodLAND Kick-off Meeting (KoM) was held on September 30 – October 2, 2020 virtually on Microsoft Teams to commence project activities. Researchers in the project were allocated topics relevant to their research component to present on and also answer questions from other researchers. Members of the Department of Food Science, Nutrition and Technology (DFSNT) present were: Prof Wambui Kogi-Makau, Prof Michael Okoth, Dr Jeff Wamiti, Dr Sophia Ngala, Dr Dasel Kaindi and Dr Lucy Njue.