Agroecology Network to promote the sustainability of food systems in West and Central Africa (RMRN-RADiUS)

Introduction

Agriculture is the leading economic sector in West and Central African (WCA) countries. It is the basis of food and nutritional security for populations. It is also the main lever for reducing poverty among smallholder farmers. Despite this importance, food systems in WCA face a series of complex challenges that compromise their productivity and sustainability. To achieve socio-economic development and population well-being objectives, African agriculture must significantly improve its productivity while maintaining the sustainability of diversified and high-quality agri-food systems. the adoption of agroecological practices represents a promising avenue.

In synergy with the organizations already in place, the RMRN-RADiUS will create appropriate frameworks bringing together all the stakeholders concerned around activities of sharing experiences, capacity building, dissemination of knowledge and validated agroecological innovations, support and decision-making assistance for political decision-makers in the WCA area.

Aim

The overall objective is to sustainably ensure the economic, food, and nutritional security and sovereignty of populations by supporting the agroecological transition of WCA farms through the promotion of principles, assessment tools, knowledge, and innovative solutions. This specifically involves scaling up the dissemination of agricultural technologies and innovations at the regional level in WCA, using CORAF’s MITA platform, which centralizes/facilitates access to information for optimal knowledge management, the identification of gaps, and the valorization of data for the benefit of the community.

In addition, the project aims to strengthen the agroecology capacities of stakeholders by supporting continuing and academic training services and the development of community entrepreneurship.

Beyond these, RMRN-RADiUS seeks to promote a legal and institutional framework conducive to the development and adoption of agroecology in WCA, by deploying standard monitoring and evaluation tools and conducting advocacy actions with political bodies at different levels.

Value of Alignment with the Agroecology TPP

Aligning with the Agroecology TPP adds value to the RADiUS project in the following ways:

Sharing of knowledge and experiences by gaining access to a global platform where lessons learned, best practices, and innovations are exchanged among diverse stakeholders.
Building capacities by benefitting from training opportunities, technical expertise, and peer learning that strengthen the skills and capacities of project teams and partners.
Financing or co-financing opportunities by leveraging partnerships for joint resource mobilization to expand impact and sustainability.

The project also contributes to the AE-TPP by sharing knowledge and research findings across joint thematic areas and by providing insights and experiences from key experts and diverse stakeholders across its consortium.

Farmer Christian’s banana, teak, cacao plot. Photo by Axel Fassio/CIFOR-ICRAF

Project Scope and Timeline

This project runs from 2025 to 2028, and is implemented in Benin Republic, Burkina-Faso, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, and Senegal.

Modality

The RMRN-RADiUS is a consortium composed of eight members who collaborate with third-party or associated partners for the implementation by providing specialized expertise, facilitating strategic partnerships, participating in the training and capacity building of members, helping to disseminate results and good practices and playing a key role in monitoring and evaluating projects and in advocating for policies favorable to agroecology at local, national and regional levels.

Partners

West and Central African Council for Agricultural Research and Development (CORAF)
Cheikh Anta Diop University of Dakar, Senegal (UCAD)
Joseph Ki-Zerbo University, Burkina Faso (UJKZ)
Félix Houphouët Boigny University, Ivory Coast (UFHB)
Cotton Research Institute, Benin (IRC)
Institute of Agricultural Research for Development, Cameroon (IRAD)
Catholic Relief Services, Senegal (CRS)
Centre for International Cooperation in Agricultural Research for Development, France (CIRAD)