FERTITEC builds upon the knowledge gained from previous EU-funded projects, such as Novafert, FER-PLAY, MainstreamBIO, SOILUTIONS, SuMaNu, AgroTechnology ATLAS, B-FERST, NOVAFERT, CINURGI, Manure Standards, SUSFERT, NUTRI-KNOW, NUTRIMAN etc. which have explored the potential of waste management and nutrient recovery from various perspectives. By integrating the insights and technological advancements from these previous initiatives, FERTITEC is positioned to deliver a comprehensive solution for waste recycling and sustainable fertiliser production from secondary raw materials. The principal objectives of this group of related projects, that FERTITEC aligns with and supports, are to transform waste into high-quality fertilisers, promote a circular economy, and mitigate environmental impact, thereby aligning with the EU's goals of sustainable agriculture, waste reduction, and bioeconomy enhancement. FERTITEC is commited to develop competitive fertilisers that are not only benefit agricultural yield but also promote a circular economy model, aligning with the EU's strategic focus. This dual focus of environmental sustainability and economic viability resonates with the objectives of our previous projects, which aimed to boost the marketability of bio-based products and harmonise global sustainability certification systems respectively. By involving key actors from the agriculture sector and facilitating multi-stakeholder discussion through our KEP, FERTITEC fosters a community-driven approach to boost sustainable innovation in the fertiliser sector. We seek to make a tangible impact at national and regional levels, by deploying our best availalbe fertilising techniques in several EU countries, as well as extrapolationg our outcomes to the African Union landscape by providing practical recommendations and guidelines. Overall with FERTITEC we aim the adoption of our alternative fertilising products and the wider transformation of the agricultural sector globally.

Food and nutrition security and sustainable agriculture (FNSSA) are among the critical development concerns in Africa. FNSSA is among the policy priorities in many African countries and at the center of the AU/EU international development agenda. FNSSA was the priority R&I area in the AU-EU High Level Policy Dialogue on Science, Technology, and Innovation. This was further substantiated by the establishment of the Pan-African Network for Economic Analysis of Policies (PANAP). StEPPFoS thus, aims contribute to the FNSSA 10-year roadmap and the global transition towards sustainable food systems through the implementation of activities that link PANAP to the FNSSA partnership. Specific objectives are (1) to improved capacities of stakeholders (2) to enhanced science-policy interface (3) to improve strategies that promote scientific support within policy development (4) to expand and strengthen the PANAP Network. StEPPFoS will be implemented through its 8 work-packages (WPs) over a period of 48 months. Capacity building, stakeholder engagements, participatory monitoring, evaluation, and learning are the main methods to be used to deliver StEPPFoS objectives whiles adhering to open science principles and effective data management practices. The consortium is well positioned to deliver these objectives as it draws on the expertise and experiences of its partners drawn from both Europe and Africa credible academic, research, and policy institutions.

Push-pull technology is a major discovery with high potential to increase food security and agricultural sustainability in East African smallholder farms. In project UPSCALE, we aim to scale up understanding and applicability of push-pull from individual fields to farm, landscape and regional scales, and from cereal to other crops and cultivation systems. By determining the factors influencing push-pull success across scales, we will enable targeted implementation and prediction of push-pull effectiveness and resilience under current and future climate conditions. Using novel remote sensing methods combined with simulation and empirical approaches, we will develop functional, chemical and sociocultural maps combined with environmental factors for spatial optimization of push-pull expansion at different scales. UPSCALE will test to what extent push-pull systems impact surrounding fields, farms, landscapes and regions, identifying potential feedbacks, non-linearities and socio-economic or ecological thresholds for adoption. Moreover, UPSCALE will explore the options to expand the use of push-pull for sustainable intensification in crops and systems outside cereal in synergy with other tools, and further intensify the system through incorporation of nutritious and high value crops. By harnessing the benefits of push-pull technology across scales and crops, UPSCALE will catalyse the design and widespread implementation of climate-smart and environmentally-friendly food production in East Africa and beyond.

Circular Agronomics (CA) provides a comprehensive synthesis of practical solutions to improve the current Carbon (C), Nitrogen (N) and Phosphorus (P) cycling in European agro-ecosystems and related up- and down-stream processes within the value-chain of food production. The proposed solutions would constitute a further step towards making agriculture an integral part of a circular economy by increasing resource efficiency while simultaneously addressing associated environmental challenges such as greenhouse gas and ammonia emissions as well as eutrophication of water bodies. Along 7 work packages and 6 case-studies, representing locations with different biogeographic conditions and environmental challenges typical for the European agricultural sector, the objective of CA is to contribute to a development towards sustainable, resilient and inclusive economies that are part of circular and zero-waste societies. The involved multi-actor and international consortium aims (i) To increase the understanding of C, N, P flows and the related potential to reduce environmental impacts at farm and regional level under different bio-geographical conditions; (ii) To close loops within cropland farming, from livestock to cropland farming and to increase the reuse of waste/wastewater from food-industry to improve soil fertility and to increase nutrient use efficiency; (iii) To highlight the performance of different prototypes of agro-ecological systems and increase sustainability of food production in the EU; and (iv) To contribute to the improvement of the European Agricultural Policies by providing evidence based, farmer led and consumer relevant recommendations for the agri-food chain. Cross-cutting social, economic and environmental evaluation ensure the overall sustainability of the investigated solution.

Africa will need to feed over 2 billion people by 2050 while coping with unprecedented demographic, socio-economic, environmental, climatic and health transitions. Meanwhile, undernourishment is still on the rise, affecting almost 20% of its population now. Under this light, ensuring Africa’s food security becomes imperative, with the bioeconomy posed to play a leading role to this end. It is against this backdrop that BIO4AFRICA sets off to support the deployment of the bioeconomy in rural Africa via the development of bio-based solutions and value chains with a circular approach to drive the cascading use of local resources and diversify the income of farmers. Our focus is on transferring simple, small-scale and robust bio-based technologies adapted to local biomass, needs and contexts (green biorefinery, pyrolysis, hydrothermal carbonisation, briquetting, pelletising, bio-composites and bioplastics production). In doing so we aim at empowering farmers to sustainably produce a variety of higher value bio-based products and energy (animal feed, fertiliser, pollutant absorbents, construction materials, packaging, solid fuel for cooking and catalysts for biogas production), significantly improving the environmental, economic and social performance of their forage agri-food systems. To this end, we have set up 4 pilot cases with over 8 testing sites in Uganda, Ghana, Senegal and Ivory Coast, offering more than 300 farmers and farmer groups of all sizes (incl. small dairy and lower-income farmers, women farmer groups and transhumant pastoralists among others) the opportunity to test them in real productive conditions. Along the way, our balanced mix of 13 African and 12 EU partners will engage in solid multi-actor collaboration with rural communities and government, co-developing novel sustainable value chains driven by circular business models and supporting deployment in other areas, all while safeguarding agronomic, environmental, social and economic sustainability.