NIBIO’s international activities in Africa

NIBIO’s goal in Africa: To develop evidence-based research and knowledge relevant for civil society/stakeholders to address grand global challenges.

Focus areas:

  • Climate change adaptation and mitigation in agriculture and forestry sectors

  • Food and nutrition security and sustainable food systems

  • Renewable energy: Biowaste to bioenergy

  • Biowaste to biofertilizer

  • Integrated pest management and decision support

  • Biodiversity conservation on farmlands

  • REDD+ and Forest Landscape Restoration

  • Skills development for youth and women in the agricultural sector

  • Education

  • Capacity building of Research and HE Institutions
     

Maize-legume and Sorghum-legume intercropping systems in Malawi. Photo: L.Dakishoni.
The EU-funded InnovAfrica project is currently testing, integrating, and disseminating potential sustainable agriculture intensification systems suitable to smallholders, combined with institutional approaches, and extension and advisory services. This picture shows maize-legume and Sorghum-legume intercropping systems, as a part of the InnovAfrica project in Malawi. Photo: L.Dakishoni.



NIBIO networks and cooperating partners in Africa

NIBIO currently has project cooperation in more than 12 African countries including Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Rwanda, South Africa, Zambia, Tanzania, Mali, Niger, Uganda, Benin and Ghana.  

NIBIO has active and ongoing research and development cooperation with several CGIAR partners (IITA, ICRAF, CIMMYT, ILRI, Alliance Bioversity & CIAT), ICIPE and 24+ national partners in several African countries (national research institutes, universities, farmer organizations, SME’s). 

 

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The Forest Landscape Restoration (FLR) in Ethiopia has a goal of restoring highly degraded forest landscapes, in the vast highlands in north western Ethiopia, into productive agricultural and forest landscapes. This photo is from a Community meeting  in one of the FLR villages in the Libo Kem Kem district. Photo: Belachew Gizachew.

 

Projects in Africa

Projects

Funding source

Role of NIBIOThematic focusCountries where the project is implemented
ClimaSoilHealth (2024-2027)NoradProject coordinator Improving the institutional capacity on sustainable soil health restoration in Tanzania, to strengthen adaptation and mitigation to climate changeTanzania
FoodsecURe (2023-2027)NFRProject coordinator
Food security through better sanitation: the case of urine recycling
Ethiopia
MaDiPHS (2022-2027)NoradProject coordinatorEstablish a digital plant health service at national level in MalawiMalawi
CANALLS (2023-2026)EUPartner
Agroecological practices for sustainable transition
Cameroon, Rwanda, Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo
SRI Tanzania (2022-2025)NoradProject coordinatorInstitutional capacity building on climate-smart and resource efficient rice production systems in TanzaniaTanzania
Healthy Food Africa
(2020-2025)
EU H2020PartnerSustainable food security and nutritionEthiopia, Kenya, Uganda, Zambia, Ghana, Benin

EthiopiaGrass (2021-2024)

Norwegian Research Council/NMBUProject coordninatorIntegrated grassland/crop systems to improve feed provision for livestock and production of food crops, while improving soil quality. Ethiopia
Fall Army Worm control/with FAO (2020-2024)Norad/MFAPartnerFAW/VIPS – pest monitoring system Malawi
CAP-Africa (2019-2023)Norad/MFAPartnerCombating Arthropod Pests for Better Health, Food and Climate ChangeKenya, Ethiopia, Uganda, Tanzania
Farms4Biodiversity (2019-2022)Bidiversa/NFRPartnerBiodiversity on farm landsMalawi
Biofuel Value Chain in Kenya (2018-2022)Norad/MFAProject coordinatorSkills for Private Sector Development Kenya
Forest Landscape Restoration Projec t (2017-2022)MFA/EmbassyPartnerForest Landscape RestorationEthiopia
National Carbon Monitoring Center (2015-2022)MFA/EmbassyPartnerREDD+; forest and climateTanzania
Gliricidia – agroforestry (2019-2021)Norad/MFAProject coordinatorAgroforestry for improving soil fertility, food securityZambia
Climate-Smart Agriculture (2019-2020)Norad/MFAPartnerDevelopment of ICT tools, the VIPS platform Niger, Mali
InnovAfrica (2017-2021)EU H2020Project coordinatorClimate Change and Adaptation in AgricultureEthiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Rwanda, South Africa, Tanzania

 

Projects

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Division of Food Production and Society

FoodsecURe: Food security through better sanitation: the case of urine recycling


Human urine contains essential plant nutrients. Hence, urine can serve as a “free” and locally available fertiliser. Successful, low-cost urine-diverting toilets (UDTs) that separately collect urine have been developed in Scandinavia and Europe and manufactured at large scale in Africa. A solution for stabilising urine into a solid fertiliser has also been developed. 

But why can't we recycle urine at scale?

In Sweden UDTs are used in some cottages, and the Swedish University of Agricultural Science (SLU) has developed a method to stabilise and dry urine into a fertiliser product, urine-based fertiliser (UBF). FoodSecure aims to implement this technology at a medium scale in Ethiopia.

Active Updated: 26.01.2024
End: jun 2027
Start: jul 2023
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Division of Environment and Natural Resources

CANALLS Agroecological practices for sustainable transition


Agroecology covers all activities and actors involved in food systems. It also places the well-being of people (producers and consumers of crops and products) at its core. The EU-funded CANALLS project will focus on the agroecological zones and diverse farming systems in the humid tropics of Central and Eastern Africa. It will explore the complex environmental, social and economic challenges, which in some cases are exacerbated by conflict and high vulnerability. Moreover, it will advance agroecological transitions in these regions through multi-actor transdisciplinary agroecology Living Labs at eight sites in four countries. The focus will be on crops such as cocoa, coffee and cassava, which are vital for subsistence and economic development.

Active Updated: 30.01.2024
End: dec 2026
Start: jan 2023
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Division of Food Production and Society

HealthyFoodAfrica


Improving access to nutritious food is a systemic challenge. In order to foster healthier diets, it is necessary to go beyond expanding the diversity of products on the supply side, or raising awareness on the demand side. HealthyFoodAfrica aims to increase the resilience of food systems, and to link food production to nutrition performance, thereby increasing the range and quality of food products for a healthy diet. To achieve this, it engages with farmers, food processors, retailers, civil society organisations (CSOs), policymakers and local experts, and helps them create, and test, innovative technologies, practices and governance arrangements that contribute to a more sustainable, resilient and healthy food system for all.

Active Updated: 23.08.2023
End: dec 2025
Start: jun 2020
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Division of Environment and Natural Resources

FARMS4Biodiversity: Farmer-led Agroecological Research in Malawi using Scenarios for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services


Farms4Biodiversity is an ambitious, interdisciplinary, multi-scalar project designed to address biodiversity conservation, support ecosystem services and improve food security under scenarios of land-use change in the Global South. The project is being implemented in the Northern part of Malawi.

Finished Updated: 19.06.2023
End: nov 2022
Start: dec 2018
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CAP-Africa – Combating Arthropod Pests for Better Health, Food and Resilience to Climate Change


CAP-Africa will address the most important and pressing continental issues of malaria and emerging infectious diseases (yellow fever and dengue), climate change impact and education, to improve the livelihood of rural communities in the Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda and Ethiopia. It is a response to accumulating evidence that addressing these major problems will improve health, food and nutritional security. At the same time, it will build the resilience of the people against the impacts of climate change and enhance the capacity for leadership in scientific research, policy and technology dissemination.

Finished Updated: 17.06.2020
End: dec 2023
Start: jan 2019
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Division of Forest and Forest Resources

Biofuel4Kenya: Improving Framework Conditions and Skills for Private Sector Development in Biofuel Value Chain in Kenya (Biofuel4Kenya)


The main objective of the project is to develop a biofuel briquettes production and supply value chain from waste bagasse to market. Biofuel4Kenya will improve framework conditions for private sector development in the biofuel value chain, in order to boost commercial production of carbonized biomass briquettes from agro-industrial residues in western Kenya.

Finished Updated: 07.04.2022
End: dec 2022
Start: oct 2018
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Division of Forest and Forest Resources

Forest Landscape Restoration (FLR)-Ethiopia


The FLR project (2017-2022) has a goal of restoring highly degraded forest landscapes, in vast highlands in north western Ethiopia, into productive agricultural and forest landscapes. The project will adopt a landscape-approach to forest restoration, which will look at the target areas from a multifunctional landscape perspective, combining natural resource management with environmental and social well-being.

Finished Updated: 07.04.2022
End: dec 2022
Start: oct 2017
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Division of Forest and Forest Resources

Strengthening the National Carbon Monitoring Center (NCMC) and GHG accounting system in Tanzania


In January 2016, Tanzania launched a national carbon monitoring centre (NCMC) at Sokoine University of Agriculture in Morogoro. The main purpose of the centre is “to build national capacity to measure, verify and report adequately on carbon emissions at national and international level”. NIBIO is the major technical partner to assist Tanzania’s NCMC, and has taken part in the development and establishment of the centre.

Finished Updated: 24.04.2024
End: dec 2022
Start: jan 2015
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Climate Smart Agricultural Technologies for improved Rural Livelihoods and Food Security in Mali and Niger


The objective of the proposed work is to reduce poverty and food insecurity in Mali and Niger. Measures will be taken to protect natural resources and increase farmer incomes by enhancing agricultural productivity, strengthening market linkages, and facilitating new agribusinesses particularly those led by women and youth. The project will provide farmers with options to help increase their resilience and adaptation to the effects of climate change. Overall project activities are expected to lead to more than 20% increase in crop yields and 15% increase in household crop income.

Finished Updated: 17.06.2020
End: dec 2020
Start: jan 2019