AfroGrow: Co-Creating Living Labs for Sustainable Agroforestry and Climate Resilience Across Africa
Type
conference paper
Date Issued
2025-03-18
Author(s)
Varvaris, Ioannis
;
Hadjimitsis, Diofantos
;
Mavrovouniotis, Michalis
;
Stavrinides, Menelaos
;
Neophytides, Stelios
;
Koumoulidis, Dimitrios
;
Kokkinos, Neofytos
;
Lojka, Bohdan
;
Kotrba, Radim
;
Jůnek, Tomáš
;
Dettenhofer, Markus
;
Trakalova, Emilie
;
Manikas, Ioannis
;
Gitas, Ioannis
;
Georgopoulos, Nikos
;
Stavrakoudis, Dimitris
;
Bargués-tobella Aida
;
Michailidou, Georgia
;
Kostopoulos, Ioannis
;
Altsitsiadis, Alexandros
;
Ferentinou, Maria
;
Romney Deborah (dannie)
;
Mudumba, Tutilo
;
Schaffner, Urs
;
Treskova, Marina
;
Belesova, Kristine
;
Pittaki-chrysodonta Zampela
;
Winowiecki Leigh Ann
;
Magaju, Christine
;
Masikati, Patricia
;
Landmann, Tobias
;
Villinger, Jandouwe
;
Tadesse, Eyob
;
Mekuria Aklilu Negussie
;
Mukumbuta, Ikabongo
;
Muzyamba, Kelody
;
Thiam, Sophie
;
Tall, Hamidou
;
Osei-adu Jonas
;
Savadogo, Moumini
;
Nyamukondiwa, Casper
;
Sehularo, Walona
;
Evans, Kate
;
Tondoh Ebagnerin Jerome
;
;
;
;
;
;
Lavranou Georgia Konstantina
;
Mutungi, Priscillar
;
Gerald, Juma
;
et al.
Abstract
Africa, while contributing minimally to global greenhouse gas emissions, disproportionately bears the burden of climate change impacts, including declining agricultural productivity, threats to food and water security, and biodiversity loss. Agroforestry offers a holistic solution to these challenges, providing ecological, economic, and social benefits. However, the implications of agroforestry for planetary health, societal well-being, and ecological stability remain underexplored. To address the interconnected challenges of climate change, land degradation, and socio-economic inequalities, AfroGrow promotes sustainable agroforestry systems across the African Union (AU) by establishing six interconnected Living Labs (LLs) in Botswana, Côte d'Ivoire, Ethiopia, Kenya, Senegal, and Zambia. These LLs serve as dynamic, real-world co-creation environments that foster innovation, facilitate knowledge exchange, and promote stakeholder collaboration, unlocking the potential of agroforestry to enhance climate resilience, improve livelihoods, and support ecosystem health.
AfroGrow integrates traditional knowledge with innovative agroforestry management practices, ensuring that solutions are tailored to local communities' needs and priorities. The project adopts a multidimensional, multi-actor approach to agroforestry challenges by fostering collaboration among all key stakeholders from the Quintuple Innovation Helix framework. These efforts are guided by a gender-sensitive strategy, ensuring that decision-making processes actively address inequalities and promote social innovation. Socio-ecological experiments, carbon farming business models, and establishing an AU Agroforestry Hub envisioned as a centralized platform for knowledge exchange and strategic coordination, are central to the project's vision. In addition, AfroGrow advances an existing e-learning platform tailored to local contexts, empowering communities with accessible training resources and fostering capacity-building. AfroGrow also tackles barriers to agroforestry adoption, such as resource limitations and policy constraints, by engaging stakeholders through participatory workshops, surveys, and co-creation activities. Complementary to these, the project emphasizes communication strategies incorporating local languages, customs, and contexts, ensuring effective dissemination and communication.
The project develops comprehensive databases cataloging plant species, animal breeds, and agroforestry practices adapted to specific local contexts. These databases are complemented by dynamic regional suitability maps, which identify optimal locations for specific plant and animal species based on soil, climate, and biodiversity conditions. By aligning community-driven needs with market demands while considering ecological, cultural, and socio-economic contexts, the project advances ecologically sustainable and economically viable agroforestry systems. In addition, AfroGrow emphasizes the long-term impact of the established LLs, ensuring they serve as hubs for innovation, collaboration, and knowledge dissemination. Robust monitoring frameworks and digital tools further amplify AfroGrow’s impact by assessing the effects of agroforestry systems, sustainable land management, and carbon farming practices on ecosystem services, biodiversity, and human well-being. Consequently, these solutions contribute to adaptive management strategies that enhance resilience to climate change and align with Africa’s socio-economic priorities, ensuring that the outcomes of AfroGrow’s LLs are sustainable and scalable over time.
AfroGrow aims to transform Africa's agroforestry sector by co-creating scalable, sustainable solutions with local communities and integrating them into policy frameworks. The project enhances climate resilience while setting a global standard for agroforestry through innovation, collaboration, and inclusivity. AfroGrow ensures its long-term impact and scalability in addressing environmental and social challenges by fostering enduring Africa-EU partnerships and knowledge exchange.
AfroGrow integrates traditional knowledge with innovative agroforestry management practices, ensuring that solutions are tailored to local communities' needs and priorities. The project adopts a multidimensional, multi-actor approach to agroforestry challenges by fostering collaboration among all key stakeholders from the Quintuple Innovation Helix framework. These efforts are guided by a gender-sensitive strategy, ensuring that decision-making processes actively address inequalities and promote social innovation. Socio-ecological experiments, carbon farming business models, and establishing an AU Agroforestry Hub envisioned as a centralized platform for knowledge exchange and strategic coordination, are central to the project's vision. In addition, AfroGrow advances an existing e-learning platform tailored to local contexts, empowering communities with accessible training resources and fostering capacity-building. AfroGrow also tackles barriers to agroforestry adoption, such as resource limitations and policy constraints, by engaging stakeholders through participatory workshops, surveys, and co-creation activities. Complementary to these, the project emphasizes communication strategies incorporating local languages, customs, and contexts, ensuring effective dissemination and communication.
The project develops comprehensive databases cataloging plant species, animal breeds, and agroforestry practices adapted to specific local contexts. These databases are complemented by dynamic regional suitability maps, which identify optimal locations for specific plant and animal species based on soil, climate, and biodiversity conditions. By aligning community-driven needs with market demands while considering ecological, cultural, and socio-economic contexts, the project advances ecologically sustainable and economically viable agroforestry systems. In addition, AfroGrow emphasizes the long-term impact of the established LLs, ensuring they serve as hubs for innovation, collaboration, and knowledge dissemination. Robust monitoring frameworks and digital tools further amplify AfroGrow’s impact by assessing the effects of agroforestry systems, sustainable land management, and carbon farming practices on ecosystem services, biodiversity, and human well-being. Consequently, these solutions contribute to adaptive management strategies that enhance resilience to climate change and align with Africa’s socio-economic priorities, ensuring that the outcomes of AfroGrow’s LLs are sustainable and scalable over time.
AfroGrow aims to transform Africa's agroforestry sector by co-creating scalable, sustainable solutions with local communities and integrating them into policy frameworks. The project enhances climate resilience while setting a global standard for agroforestry through innovation, collaboration, and inclusivity. AfroGrow ensures its long-term impact and scalability in addressing environmental and social challenges by fostering enduring Africa-EU partnerships and knowledge exchange.
Language
English
Keywords
Agroforestry
Living Labs
African Union
Climate Change
Multi-Actor Approach
HSG Classification
contribution to scientific community
Refereed
Yes
Event Title
Eleventh International Conference on Remote Sensing and Geoinformation of Environment
Event Location
Paphos, Cyprus
Event Date
17-19 March 2025
Division(s)
Contact Email Address
sabine.hoidn@unisg.ch
Additional Information
This work has received funding from the Swiss State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (SERI).