Summary
BIO4AFRICA is a project focused on demonstration of bio-based technologies to diversify rural areas across Africa. With 13 African, and 12 European partners, the focus is on transferring simple, small-scale and robust bio-based
technologies adapted to local biomass, needs and contexts (green biorefinery, pyrolysis, hydrothermal carbonisation,
briquetting, pelletising, bio-composites and bioplastics production). In doing so we aim to empower farmers to sustainably produce a variety of higher value bio-based products and energy (animal feed, fertiliser, pollutant absorbents, construction materials, packaging, solid fuel for cooking and catalysts for biogas production), significantly improving the environmental, economic and social performance of their forage agri-food systems.
The project is establishing 4 pilot cases with over 8 testing sites in Uganda, Ghana, Senegal and Ivory Coast, offering more than 300 farmers and farmer groups of all sizes (incl. small dairy and lower-income farmers, women farmer groups and transhumant pastoralists among others) the opportunity to test these technologies and their products in real productive conditions.
Objectives
- Analyse the needs and contexts of our rural communities along with their agri-food systems and value chains to drive the evidence-based adaptation and transfer of tailored bio-based solutions.
- Develop, adapt and combine small-scale, simple and robust bio-based technologies to produce solutions that can be safely operated and maintained at farm, village or rural community level.
- Deploy our integrated bio-based solutions to be operated and tested by farmers in diverse real productive conditions and integrated value chains across rural Africa, diversifying their revenue models.
- Co-design, test and validate sustainable business models, all while delivering hands-on business support services and tools to facilitate their adoption and replication in rural African areas.
- Assess and validate the agronomic, environmental, social and economic sustainability of the project’s bio-based solutions and business models, along with the marketability of their products.
- Engage in solid multi-actor collaboration, cluster with relevant initiatives and deliver evidence-based policy recommendations to drive replication and deployment in other areas.
Impacts
- Deliver new and sustainable bio-based value chains that can be plugged into African agri-food systems
- Increase and diversify agricultural income and foster savings and investment
- Enhance sustainability and reduce the environmental impact of domestic and economic activities, through e.g. reduced logging or nutrient recycling
- Contribution to empowering women farmers and supporting vulnerable groups in rural Africa
- Contribution to the production and integration of novel technologies and knowledge in the bioeconomy
- Contribution to more sustainable, innovative and inclusive rural communities across Africa and EU
- Contribution to increased public awareness and acceptance of the bio-based sector in Africa
Project details
Feedstock origin:
Agricultural wastes
Start date:
1st June 2021
End date:
31st May 2025
Funding:
Horizon 2020, €8,999,693,75
Partners
- CIRAD
- QPLAN
- IHE Delft
- Munster Technological University
- GRASSA
- Celignis
- RAGT Energie
- Savannah Young Farmers Network
- 0Km Nomads
- iHUB
- INP-HB
- Eastern Africa Farmers Society
- African Agricultural Technology Foundation
- KRC Uganda
- African Forum for Agricultural Advisory Services
- UASZ
- SCPL
- ASAPID
- Energeco Afrique, Country Farm
- Draxis
- BPE
- CTA
- Sustainable Innovations Europe
- Food and Biocluster Denmark
