Bouake Living Lab
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:
- 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
- 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.
- Food processing and market linkages: Partners are developing low-glycemic rice processing and promoting food transformation innovations, connecting producers and processors to viable markets.
- 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.