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Objective:

It aims to use of black soldier flies (BSF) to revolutionize sustainable agriculture, waste management, and food security practices across multiple sectors. It also focuses on developing circular agricultural systems by transforming organic waste into high-protein animal feed and organic fertilizers.

Activities:

1. Research and development in BSF technologies: IITA and research institutions are leading efforts to develop effective BSF farming techniques and optimized feed production systems to enhance the agricultural circular economy.
2.  BSF composting and waste recycling in schools: Schools will establish BSF composting units to process organic waste into compost and animal feed, integrating it into school gardens for meals and promoting sustainability in feeding programs while reducing waste costs.
3.  Teaching sustainable farming practices to Farmers will develop BSF composting facilities using agricultural residues to enhance soil fertility and reduce reliance on chemical fertilizers, promoting long-term sustainability.
4. Supporting Livestock farmers to establish BSF farming units to recycle manure into high-protein feed, improving nutrition and reducing feed costs.

Objective:

This living lab focuses on identifying and scaling innovations for diversified food systems, including training in the production, processing, marketing, consumption of healthy foods, and company canteen operations, while supporting and training youth to engage in healthy food agribusiness enterprises.

Activities:

The key activities in this living lab are:

1. Research and development of diversified food system innovations: Africe Rice and other partners in the project developing and testing of new approaches in food production, and commercialization to enhance food and nutrition security
2. Youth agribusiness and training support: OIC provides training in market gardening, fish farming, rabbit farming, and poultry farming, with theoretical and practical courses, entrepreneurial support and mentorship for youth.
3. Food processing and market linkages: Partners are developing low-glycemic rice processing and promoting food transformation innovations, connecting producers and processors to viable markets.
4. Company canteen nutrition training and health programmes: ESST enhances workplace nutrition by training company canteen managers, developing a food composition table to optimize local food utilization for improved health and outcomes, and conducts worker nutrition surveys and diabetic screenings to assess malnutrition and metabolic health, providing tailored dietary recommendations.

Objective:

This living aims to increase the capabilities of youth in agribusiness with a focus on healthy food production and commercialization in urban and peri-urban environments, where space is a big challenge.

Activities:

In this living lab, the youths receive training on different healthy food production innovations such as:

1. An improved cage for poultry and turkey farming under limited space
2. Collapsible fishponds for the co-production of catfish and tilapia for fish farming under limited space
3. An improved mushroom production method that holds up to 5000 substrate bags under limited farming space and uses a renewable energy source for substrate preparation
4. An easy-to-use mushroom spent substrate as fertilizer for market gardening,
5. Improved snail production techniques under adverse climatic conditions (high temperature such as that in Gwagwalada)
6. Improved catfish degutting and drying techniques to increase quality and reduce post-harvest loss
7. Banana/plantain-fish integrated farming system to create a favourable micro-environment for fish farming, especially under high-temperature conditions
8. Improved hydroponic system for leafy vegetables such as lettuce, cabbage, and kale production under limited space
9. Sack farming for underutilized crops species, and
10. Biofortification for crops such as maize and cassava

Objective:

These living labs seek to promote diverse and safe food for better health, identify and close the gaps that reduce access to healthy diets in Nigeria.

Activities:

1. Examine plants, ruminant, fisheries sectors for the incidence and extent of food safety risks (mycotoxins, heavy metals, pesticide residues)
2. Increase awareness on the need for healthy diets though capacity development targeted at producers, processors and consumers on the risks and management methods for food risk management
3. Increase awareness on the appropriate use of good agricultural practices, agrochemicals to reduce the risks of misuse.
4. Conduct rapid in-situ testing to demonstrate the value of aflatoxin mitigation and expose the risks of bad agricultural practices as it relates to food safety
5. Co-develop strategies for investigating risks and management strategies that are valuable for sectors of the living lab
6. Develop information factsheets relevant for the users to create awareness on indigenous products that are easy to access and nutrient-dense
7. Providing advice on innovative food combinations, demographic appropriate knowledge relevant for healthy diets
8. Assess impact of diets on human health (liver disease) in healthcare institutions

Objective:

This living lab seeks to identify priority areas for food safety and nutrition, with a particular focus on neglected and underutilized crops and access to seeds.

Activities:

The key activities in this living lab are:

1. Research and Food innovation: To respond to current demand for healthy foods through promotion of neglected and underutilised crops.

2. Stakeholder engagement and capacity building: Training for farmers, food entrepreneurs, consumers in food safety, indigenous food utilization, and business development.

3. Stakeholder engagement and safe vegetable production: Identifying key actors, and designing multi-stakeholder collaboration framework to strengthen linkages between health, agriculture, and nutrition sector with focus on vegetable.

4. Nutrition education and awareness: Conducting multichannel outreach to provide valuable information about safe production and healthy diets.

5. Youth-led agribusiness and commercialisation support: Incubation and acceleration programs for youth-led food innovations, providing networking and mentorship, funding, business and technical training, in ensuring new jobs, food security and improving nutrition by focusing on locally-grown and sustainable crops.

Objective:

This living focuses on improving fish production through an integrated rice-fish-vegetable farming system, promoting sustainable agriculture, and strengthening value chains to boost food security and economic opportunities for local farmers in Liberia.

Activities:

1. Support establishing and modernizing in-door and out-door hatcheries and existing rice-fish plots at Suakoko, Liberia for fingerlings production to be distributed to rice-fish farming system farmers and for training of value chain actors in integrated rice-fish systems
2. Support the Central Agricultural Research Institute (CARI) to promote floating cages for fish production
3. Promote rice-fish-vegetable farming in Margibi county aims to contribute to increasing rice, fish and vegetable production in Liberia

Objective:

a community-based research and innovation platform focused on diversifying food systems to combat malnutrition and enhance food and nutrition security. It fosters co-learning, stakeholder collaboration, and real-time testing of social and technical innovations in food production, processing, and commercialization.

Activities:

1.  Training and capacity building: Hands-on training for farmers and food entrepreneurs on healthy food innovations, sustainable agricultural practices, and food transformation techniques.
2. Youth and school engagement: Over 450 secondary school students trained in best agricultural practices, food processing, and commercialization, alongside awareness campaigns on sustainable food systems and nutrition.
3. Support for vulnerable groups: Training programs for 26 orphans using the farmer field school approach to equip them with agricultural skills for food production and self-sufficiency.
4. Scaling and commercialization of healthy food innovations: Facilitating the adoption of innovative agricultural practices and food products by linking stakeholders with markets and promoting sustainable business models.

Objective:

It focuses on urban farming technologies, food processing, and value addition, as most indigenous foods consumed in urban areas come from the outskirts. The Makueni Living Lab supports indigenous food production, food safety awareness, and supplementary feeding using locally available foods.

Activities:

1. Youth agribusiness and commercialization support: Incubation and acceleration programs for youth-led food innovations, providing mentorship, funding, business and technical training, and tailored strategies for scaling, market access, and sustainable commercialization.
2. Business and technical training for entrepreneurs: Over six months of structured training covering business strategy, financial management, legal compliance, risk management, branding, and marketing, and including one-on-one mentorship sessions.
3. Stakeholder engagement and capacity building: Training for farmers, food entrepreneurs, and canteen managers in food safety, indigenous food utilization, and business development.
4. Consumer awareness & market access: Showcasing healthy food innovations through exhibitions, open days, and digital marketing to boost consumer knowledge and sales.
5. Kenyatta University and with other partners are leading research efforts to promote food safety.

Objective:

This living lab aims to promote the consumption of indigenous fruits and vegetables (IFVs) to improve cardiometabolic health. It focuses on empowering communities with food skills, enhancing dietary diversity, and addressing the double burden of malnutrition.

Activities:

1.  Community capacity building: Training Village Health Teams (VHTs) and women champions using a Train-the-Trainer approach to disseminate knowledge on IFV nutrition, preparation, and health benefits, while also addressing foodrelated barriers and misconceptions.
2. Food production and self-sufficiency: Promoting backyard and kitchen gardens for indigenous fruit and vegetable cultivation, while reducing dependency on external food sources.
3. Nutrition education and awareness: Conducting outreach through media channels, community dialogues, and focus group discussions.
4. Research and Food innovation and skill development: Co-creating IFV-based dishes, food tasting events, and recipe development workshops to encourage dietary shifts.
5. Stakeholder engagement and food systems mapping: Identifying key actors, developing a strategic communication plan, and designing multi-stakeholder collaboration framework to strengthen linkages between health, agriculture, and nutrition sectors.