PrAEctiCe will provide a novel agro-ecology indicator set for East Africa, aimed at helping smallholder farmers in their agro-ecological transition. The project goes beyond the existing indicator frameworks by putting the “concept into action” with a decision support tool for agro-ecology advisors supporting the selection of the best suited combination of agro-ecological practices in a local context. In addition, it puts a focus on circular water-energy-nutrient systems of integrated aqua-agriculture, an practice with high potential for efficient farming with minimal climate impacts, which has not been sufficiently explored in previous indicator work. Through a multi-stakeholder approach, new insight on agro-ecological practices in East Africa will be gathered to inform on existing successful practices as well as the barriers and drivers of East African smallholder farmers. This insight will help develop an indicator framework for agro-ecology, which, while building on existing frameworks, is adapted to the East African context and captures integrated aqua-agriculture practices in detail. The PrAEctiCe decision support tool will then, at the farm level, help assess environmental and socio-economic impacts, with a particular focus on impacts on climate change mitigation and adaptation as well as financial viability. The tool will be validated in three living labs, situated in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania, covering different integrated aqua-agriculture farming set-ups. Knowledge sharing activities through trainings, student exchanges and events, ensure the dissemination of results across East Africa and between AU and EU. To reach practitioners at every level, a cascade training mechanism with a train-the-trainer course will help agro-ecology advisors train farming representatives at the local level who then will help the farmers in their agro-ecological transition. Policy recommendations for AU and EU policies will round off the project.

EmergeNOW uses digital, molecular tools for rapid CBS, HLB detection, enabling early warning at EU import points. Consortium introduces novel tools and autonavigated robots for inspectors: a) on-site Phyllosticta citricarpa (P.c) and Candidatus Liberibacter’ (Ca. L) species rapid detection a molecular tool based on Recombinase Polymerase Amplification kits, b)Fluorescent Array-based Sensing Technology for P.c and Ca.L rapid detection, c) Artificial Intelligence- powered mobile apps for rapid CBS and HLB image analysis detection integrated with low-cost hyperspectral imagers, d) UAVs for AI-based RGB and hyperspectral imaging of abiotic and biotic symptom response of CBS and HLB and similar to these; e) Autonomous Mobile Robots for HLB and CBS AI imaging symptoms detection discriminate from abiotic stress. Also, deployment plans are in place for detecting the vector Diaphorina citri (ACP), Trioza erytreae (T.e ), and Cacopsylla citrisuga (C.c) by: f) e-Nose sensors, g) AI - based robotic traps for real time detection and monitoring, and h) AI-powered mobile apps for their early detection. Τhese systemic innovations could be incorporated in the EFSA Survey Cards. Digital tools link in systemic alert system with blockchain, ML analytics and will enable informed decisions for import control. Focusing on showcasing real problem scenarios, the developed tools and methods will be initially tested and optimised in biosecure enviroments at Plant Health Centers (PHC) and afterwards validated in citrus orchards in USA (CBS, HLB, ACP), Uganda (CBS, HLB, T.e), Vietnam (HLB, ACP, C.c), and in Cyprus (ACP). The optimised tools will be demonstrated in authorized Border Control Posts in Greece, Italy, Spain and Cyprus.

KijaniBox is a highly innovative project that will accelerate the African green transition and provide energy access for small businesses along the food supply chain. The target is to leverage the organic waste and transform them into green energy for cooling and refrigeration applications in order to prevent food losses and sanitary risks. The project aims to demonstrate the concept in 3 pilot sites in partnership with local waste management companies, food value chain actors and cold supply chain industries. In order to implement the concept, the project proposes highly innovative approaches called “Green Transition Enablers”. These are i) KijaniBox System itself, a small-scale, off-grid, industrial-grade waste to cooling system ii) Application Solution Boxes (ASB), application specific KijaniBox solution for three use cases iii) Co-creation Factory, enabling the local manufacturing capabilities for cost-effective solution, and finally iv) Business-in-a-Box, a comprehensive toolkit for entrepreneurs and stakeholders business support in order to ensure successful take-up and commercialization of the solution. KijaniBox is a highly innovative driven consortium composed of fourteen (14) entities, 7 European and 7 African partners, coming from 6 different countries. The ultimate target of KijaniBox is to pave the way for long-term sustainable economic growth and job creation opportunities in Africa and Europe.

FOODLAND 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 (TRL 5) 12 prototypes for crop and fish farming and food processing systems that will deliver 17 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.

VicInAqua will follow an integrated approach in order to develop a sustainable combined sanitation and recirculating aquaculture system (RAS) for wastewater treatment and reuse in agriculture in the Victoria Lake Basin area. In this decentralized integrated treatment system wastewater from households and fish processing industry as well as RAS production water will radically reduce stress on the sensitive ecosystems of the Lake Victoria and will contribute to food and health security. It will be operated fully autonomous powered by renewable energies (PV, biogas). The RAS will particularly produce high quality fingerlings of the local fish species to supply the pond aquaculture of the area with stocking material. The innovative core idea of the project is to develop and test new technologies which enable the integration of sanitation with the aquaculture in a sustainable manner. The core of the project concept is to develop and test a novel self-cleaning water filters which consist of a highly efficient particle filter as well as a membrane bioreactor (MBR) as principal treatment unit within a combined treatment system where the nutrient rich effluent water will be used for agricultural irrigation. the surplus sludge from both filter systems will be co-digested with agricultural waste and local water hyacinth to produce biogas. The overall concept will promote sound approaches to water management for agriculture, taking into consideration broader socio-economic factors and also fomenting job creation and greater gender balance in decision-making. The pursued approach will be perfectly in line with the strategic guidelines of the Rio+20 and the post-2015 development framework.