The ARUA-SFS hosts different research projects. The two current flagship projects are CaBFoodS-Africa and FSNet-Africa.

CaBFoodS-Africa

The ARUA-UKRI GCRF Partnership Programme for Capacity Building Food Security for Africa (CaBFoodS-Africa) project collaboratively builds the capacities required across research and policy to tackle the triple burden of malnutrition and help avoid the policy paralysis that, in some countries, has led to little or no progress towards addressing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The project team, which includes the University of Pretoria; University of Nairobi; University of Ghana, Legon; the Food, Agriculture, and Natural Resources Policy Analysis Network (FANRPAN); and the Regional Universities Forum for Capacity Building in Agriculture (RUFORUM) incorporates expertise in agriculture, post-harvest losses, land use, food security, nutrition and health, rural livelihoods, and policy and institutional analysis.

The consortium addresses capacity building and policy development under 5 broad themes: (1) Building capacity in food security through different approaches, (2) Retaining nutrient quality through complementary interventions, (3) Building skills engaging with big data science through the lens of agriculture and food systems, (4) develop policies for optimal nutrition sensitive options, and (5) a high-level colloquium.

The aims of CaBFoodS-Africa are to (i) break down barriers to African partnerships, (ii) develop African-African and African-UK partnerships, and (iii) build capacity to strengthen future research and policy development that may extend beyond the focal countries. The project integrates the building of capacity and knowledge exchange through co-designed training courses, e-learning, workshops, a mini-symposium, and scoping studies by institutions in Africa and the UK and the building of capacity for related, evidence-based policy implementation and upscaling for enhanced impact.

The ARUA-UKRI GCRF Food Systems Research Network for Africa (FSNet-Africa) project seeks to strengthen food systems research capabilities and the translation of evidence into implementable policy solutions and practical interventions in support of the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) targets for Africa. This will be achieved through leading systems analysis research on climate-smart, nutrition-sensitive, and poverty-reducing food system solutions designed and implemented in partnership with relevant food systems stakeholders.

The three lead partners – the University of Pretoria (UP; host of the ARUA CoE in Sustainable Food Systems); the University of Leeds (UoL); and the Food, Agriculture, and Natural Resources Policy Analysis Network (FANRPAN; co-leads of the GCRF-AFRICAP programme) – have been selected based on their specific strengths in food systems research as well as their current partnerships and networks with higher education and research institutions, policymakers, private sector stakeholders, and grassroots organisations to ensure the synergy needed to facilitate significant impacts.

FSNet-Africa will collaboratively produce context-relevant, interdisciplinary research through creating 2-year-long structured opportunities for 30 early-career research fellows (ECRFs, who obtained their PhDs less than 10 years ago) to (i) conduct impact-focused interdisciplinary research related to African food systems, (ii) build lasting research networks, and (iii) develop their skills to translate their research impactfully.

Contact the FSNet-Africa team: [email protected]