Nigeria

Abuja Living Lab

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

Ibadan, Ilorin, Lagos, Kano and Abuja Living Labs

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