The humid tropics of Central and Eastern Africa hold much promise for enhancing food and nutritional security within and beyond Africa. With a rich variety of agroecological zones and diverse farming systems, they are home for a great part of the rural population and a large diversity of living organisms, offering vital ecosystem services and potential for sustainable development. Still, if we are to tap into this potential, we need to address the complex environmental, social and economic challenges they face, which in cases are exacerbated by conflict and high vulnerability. In this context, CANALLS aims to drive agroecological transitions in the humid tropics of Central and Eastern Africa via multi-actor transdisciplinary Agroecology Living Labs (ALLs). We start with 8 ALLs in DRC, Burundi, Cameroon and Rwanda, working alongside and enabling over 20,000 farmers and value chain actors to co-create and benefit from optimal combinations of agroecological practices focusing on crops that are vital for subsistence and economic development (cocoa, coffee, cassava, rice, maize). In parallel, we engage in solid multi-actor collaboration with rural communities, advisory services and governments to develop a holistic assessment framework and evaluate the socio-economic and environmental performance of the co-created practices (accounting for trade-offs and synergies). We use the comprehensive evidence generated to build capacity and share knowledge (practice abstracts, replication guidelines, policy recommendations) as well as to deliver fair, inclusive and sustainable business models along with services and tools for facilitating access to markets and enhancing demand for agroecological products. Our vision is to create a growing network of ALLs that leverages EU-AU cooperation to conduct transdisciplinary research, offer scientific support and drive coordinated action for delivering holistic solutions that help shape enabling conditions for agroecological transitions.

AFRIFOOD-Links AfriFOODlinks aims to improve food and nutrition security, while delivering positive outcomes for climate and the environment, and building social and ecological resilience in 65+ Cities (15 African and 5 European Implementation cities and 40+ Network Cities) cities by: 1) applying an urban food systems lens to promote shifts to healthy, sustainable diets, 2) transforming urban food environments through real-world socio-technical experiments; 3) promoting inclusive multi-actor governance to empower public officials, small businesses and communities with ownership and agency to shape their food systems; and 4) accelerating innovative, women- and youth-led agri-food businesses to support local value addition and inclusive economic participation. AfriFOODlinks invests in direct food system change in 5 African Hub Cities, and invites 10 African and 5 European Sharing Cities to join the Hub Cities on a mutual-learning journey, to share their innovative food systems and to co-design specific pilot projects for implementation in each Sharing City. Researchers, posted within each of the 20 local governments, will support the city to articulate its identified food system challenges and own authentic approach to improving access to healthy, nutritious food - with a particular attention to vulnerable groups - and reducing food related environmental impacts through food systems intervention. In this way, these implementation cities become flagships - beacons of inspiration for urban food systems transitions across the continent to inspire and share with over 40 Network cities, who are invited to adopt and adapt.