Empowering African Smallholders

Close collaboration with the agri-food sector as well as extensive exchange of relevant know-how and research outputs between partners will constitute key assets for the participating institutions. They will lead to further incorporation into regional sector networks and will enhance both their teaching and research capacities. The universities will have trained human resources, with know-how in sustainable and quality-oriented fresh food chain management and vital skills in using and supervising problem-based learning and inter-disciplinary student research. Another concrete result of the project will be improved education and career prospects for students of participating universities. Equipped with skills that are extremely relevant to their country’s socio-economic development, they will act as change managers in the agro-food sector, and contribute to the effective integration of smallholders and other disadvantaged groups into well-organized food value chains. Most significantly, the project will directly benefit professionals in the agro-food sector such as farmers, processors, traders, cooperatives, or extension services in the region who become partners for case study projects, mentoring or internships as well as practitioners attending modules, resulting in a two-way exchange of knowledge. Furthermore, having access to university-industry networks and graduates with expertise and problem-solving skills will enable practitioners to learn from best practice, be better informed and improve their bargaining power. In the long run close collaboration and practice-oriented education will contribute to poverty alleviation and enhanced income security of smallholders and disadvantaged actors in the food chains. Finally, consumers will also benefit from these developments. They will be offered safe and good-quality food at reasonable prices on the basis of efficient and stable supply. BACK

 

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