ORPHAN PROJECT CHARTER
| Project name | Mobility for high skilled scientists and entrepreneurs on orphan crops in higher education for accelerated climate change solutions in Africa |
| Acronym | ORPHAN |
| Type of Action | NDICI-MOBAF-UN/ Intra Africa Mobility Project |
| Keywords | Capacity building, climate change, cross regional mobility, food and nutritional security, food technology, orphan crops, plant breeding |
| Duration | January 2024 to December 2027 |
| Countries for mobility | Countries for mobility |
| European Technical Partner | Belgium |
| Coordinating country | Côte d'Ivoire |
BACKGROUND
Modern agricultural systems in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) depend on 1% of the crop diversity available to feed 60% of the population. The alarming food and nutritional security issue caused by the growing population in SSA and worsen by the negative effects of climate change on agri-food systems calls for innovative approaches to address food and nutritional insecurity in the region. Yet, SSA is endowed with a huge diversity of species known as orphan crops that have the potential to address food scarcity caused by climate change due to their adaptability and nutritional value in low-input agricultural systems. Unfortunately, despite their potential, they have benefited from very limited modern scientific and technological advances. Training PhD and MSc students as well as trainees in adequate institutions that can employ graduates is a robust approach to sustain the promotion of orphan crops.
Approach
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Selection of MSc and PhD students, trainees, staff for mobility in Côte d’Ivoire, Benin, Kenya, Nigeria, and Zimbabwe
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Maximum duration of mobility
- PhD students: 36 months
- Master students: 12 months
- Trainees: 3 months
- Staff: 2 months
Objectives
- Train 12 high-profile PhD graduates, 32 MSc graduates, 10 academic staff and 10 trainees with skills in plant breeding, food technology and nutrition to address current and future challenges related to climate change and agrifood systems with a focus on promising orphan plant species of Africa.
- Harmonize training programs and research agenda on the improvement of the value chain of orphan crops for food and nutrition security in Africa.
- Enhance national – regional – international collaboration and programmatic agenda that promotes orphan crops research and training for agricultural innovations in Africa through cross regional mobility.
Higher Education Institutions involved in mobility
| Countries | Universities | Department / Faculty involved |
|---|---|---|
| Côte d'Ivoire | Université Nangui Abrogoua | UFR of Natural Sciences |
| Benin | University ofAbomey-Calavi | Faculty of Agronomic Sciences |
| Kenya | Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology |
|
| Nigeria | Ebonyi State University |
|
| Zimbabwe | University of Zimbabwe |
|
| Belgium | Catholic University of Louvain |
|
Beneficiaries
Two target groups will be considered:
Students registered or admitted in/or having obtained a degree from HEIs involved in the project (UNA, UAC, JKUAT, EBSU and UZ).
70% of selected master's and doctoral students will come from TG 1 and 30% from TG 2
70% of selected master's and doctoral students will come from TG 1 and 30% from TG 2
GOVERNANCE STRUCTURE AND MANAGEMENT TEAM
For the smooth running of the project, three Work Packages (WP) will be implemented: WP1: Management and implementation of the project; WP2: Selection and supervision of scholarship holders; and WP3: Sustainability, dissemination, and exploitation of results. The following management team will be set up: