Optimising the water-nutrient-energy nexus for sustainable and climate smart agriculture in Africa (FNSSA)

This destination will support the EU Commission priority ‘Sustaining our quality of life: food security, water and nature’.

R&I will provide new knowledge and innovation in support of the EU Vision for Agriculture and Food, built on the recommendations of the Strategic Dialogue on Agriculture, to ensure the long-term competitiveness and sustainability of our farming, fisheries, aquaculture and food sector within the boundaries of our planet. The implementation of the Green Deal actions will continue to guide R&I in this destination to foster sustainable food systems, addressing potential trade-offs between economic competitiveness and environmental sustainability.

The R&I activities under this Destination will contribute to the ambitious objectives of the current CAP concerning the competitiveness and sustainability of feed, food and non-food production as well as additional future CAP policy priorities. More specifically, actions will contribute to the specific objectives of the CAP; EU action plan for the development of organic production; food safety regulations; sustainable use of pesticides requirements under the plant protection products framework; action plan against antimicrobial resistance; animal health and welfare legislations; legislative and non-legislative initiatives to enhance cooperation of primary producers and improve their competitiveness and position in the food chain; protein strategy; contingency plan for ensuring food supply and food security and communications on food security and fertilizers, the Nature Restoration Regulation, the Zero Pollution Action Plan.

R&I will also support the announced Vision for the Fisheries Sector with a 2040 perspective and the European Ocean Pact, a framework of coherence across all policies linked to the ocean. R&I will also be relevant to the outcomes of the evaluation of the common fisheries policy (CFP) and will support its placement under this Pact, as fisheries and aquaculture are affected by other ocean related policies.

An important driving force of food systems transformation should be the integration of sectors, actors (including citizens and consumers) and policies. This will involve a better understanding of the multiple interactions between the components of current food systems, to foster solutions that maximise co-benefits with respect to the priorities of Food 2030^[1].

The EU Communication on Boosting Biotechnology and Biomanufacturing in the^[2] EU provides an overview of the application of biotechnologies in several sectors including food and feed. R&I activities in this destination will also contribute to achieving the objectives of the Strategy for European Life Sciences, the EU Biotech Act, and the new EU bioeconomy strategy.

The Destination supports unlocking the unique assets for research and innovation of the EU outermost regions, in line with the EU strategy for outermost regions^[3].

Expected impact: Proposals for topics under this destination should set out credible paths to “ensuring healthy food and nutrition security by making agriculture, fisheries, aquaculture and food systems sustainable, resilient, inclusive and within planetary boundaries”. More specifically, proposed topics should contribute to one or more of the following expected impacts:

• agriculture and food systems contribute to ensuring a secure, safe, sustainable, nutritious, and affordable supply of healthy food in Europe and beyond by fostering its long-term competitiveness, resilience, scalability and sustainability within the boundaries of our planet with the One Health approach;
• farmers are empowered to ensure the competitiveness, resilience and sustainability of the farming sector, through increasing knowledge, tools, innovative solutions, and advice that allow efficient productivity, working for and with nature, preserving and restoring biodiversity within agricultural ecosystems and helping to decarbonise the EU economy;
• sustainable fisheries and aquaculture (in marine, brackish and freshwater) contribute to fair, healthy, resilient and environment-friendly food systems in healthy aquatic ecosystems with thriving diversity of species and habitats providing ecosystem and climate services and triggering growth and jobs’ creation in coastal and rural areas;
• tools are provided so that citizens and communities are empowered to make the sustainable food choices and move towards safe, healthy, nutritious, accessible, affordable and sustainable diets. Insights and advances in life science and digital & data technologies are valorised to deploy solutions in practice across the EU;
• food businesses, including food processing industries and SMEs, are supported to increase their resilience and competitiveness, while ensuring resource efficiency and sustainability, and human, animal and ecosystem health is preserved.

[1] The four priorities of Food2030 are: 1) nutrition and health; 2) climate and environmental sustainability; 3) circularity and resource efficiency; and 4) innovation and empowering communities.

[2] https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:52024DC0137.

[3] COM(2022) Putting people first, securing sustainable and inclusive growth, unlocking the potential of the EU’s outermost regions.

Expected Outcome:

Project results are expected to contribute to all of the following expected outcomes:

• agricultural actors implement sustainable practices for resource-efficient and climate-smart and biodiversity-friendly farming in diverse African agro-ecosystems;
• integrated water, nutrient and energy management systems are available to smallholder farms in Africa.

Scope:

A nexus approach that identifies and develops mutually beneficial knowledge, practices and tools in agriculture can enable sustainable, biodiversity-friendly and climate-smart agriculture in African agro-ecosystems. The needs for water, energy, and nutrients in agriculture are crucial for smallholder farms to sustain predictable and stable productions and support livelihoods. Making available innovative solutions based on circular and sustainable approaches, can enable new business opportunities in African agriculture.

Proposals should:

• assess needs and opportunities (economic, environmental and social) for sustainable water, nutrient and energy management in agriculture for food and/or non-food uses;
• improve existing and develop new knowledge, practices and tools for on farm sustainable management of agricultural resources at the nexus of water, nutrient and energy inputs and outputs;
• evaluate the impact of the proposed practices and tools in terms of water, energy and nutrient balances but also their economic feasibility, environmental/climate footprint and social effects;
• enable sustainable, circular, climate-smart and biodiversity friendly practices at farm level while considering the characteristic of both local and regional levels in at least two different African agro-ecosystems.

The projects under this topic are relevant to the EU Vision for agriculture and food, the Global Gateway Strategy, contribute to the African Union-EU High Level Policy Dialogue on Science, Technology and Innovation^[1] and to the respective R&I partnerships on Food and Nutrition Security and Sustainable Agriculture (FNSSA) and on Climate Change and Sustainable Energy. Projects under this topic are relevant for the climate objectives of the African Union and the EU, and for the commitments of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.

Proposals should contribute to the implementation of the short-term and medium-term actions outlined in the AU-EU Innovation Agenda in the priority area of Green Transition, (notably action (4) and (5) among short-term actions and (1) and (3) for medium-term actions), and aim to translate R&I efforts into tangible business, products, services, development and employment opportunities in Africa and Europe.

Proposals must implement the multi-actor approach to ensure the adequate involvement of the public authorities, advisory services and farmer organisations.

Proposals should adopt an inclusive approach that respects and integrates local knowledge and practices alongside technological and scientific expertise, where indigenous insights are enriched by innovative approaches and new technologies through mutual learning.

Proposals should propose collaboration opportunities with ongoing projects funded under Horizon Europe, in particular those establishing living-labs in Africa. Furthermore, proposals are encouraged to seek connections with Regional Multi-actors Research Networks on Agroecology supported by the EC in Africa^[2].

Proposals are encouraged to work together with the European Commission’s Knowledge Centre on Global Food and Nutrition Security to leverage its knowledge base on relevant topics and to expand the reach and dissemination of the project's results.

Proposals are encouraged to seek complementarities with the activities of the Partnership for Research and Innovation in the Mediterranean areas (PRIMA).

Proposals may provide financial support to third parties (FSTP) to, for instance, develop, test and demonstrate new practices and tools. A maximum of 30% of the proposed budget should be allocated to this purpose.

[1] https://research-and-innovation.ec.europa.eu/news/all-research-and-innovation-news/new-eu-africa-innovation-agenda-enhance-cooperation-science-technology-and-innovation-2023-07-20_en

[2] Regional Multi-Actor Research Network on Agroecology to Support Regional Centres of Excellence related to the Green Transition; RMRN Western Africa: CORAF & Cheikh-Anta-Diop de Dakar for Western Africa; RMRN Eastern Africa : Icipe and partners