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Agrinatura Newsletter – November 2025
Agrinatura Newsletter 14/11/2025
Dear Agrinatura members and partners, 
 
Welcome to a new edition of our bi-monthly update, featuring the latest news on upcoming events, project highlights, member activities, and opportunities across the Agrinatura network and beyond.
We warmly encourage all members and partners to share relevant news, resources, and announcements with us at secretariat@agrinatura-eu.eu.
Many thanks to all who contributed to this edition.
Best regards,
Isolina Boto
Secretary-General
 
Agrinatura Activity Overview  
 
Bridging Continents through Innovation: Africa-Europe Innovation Dialogue

The Africa–Europe Innovation Platform (AEIP) Dialogue was held in Brussels on 22 October 2025, in a hybrid format. Agrinatura’s Director and Secretary General took part in the discussions within the Africa–Europe Innovation Platform (AEIP) Dialogue.
This event marked the first occasion for the AEIP to gather key actors across the innovation value chain — including policy makers, academia, start-ups and SMEs, investors, corporates, business support organisations, and civil society — to discuss the latest developments in innovation cooperation between Africa and Europe.
The AEIP plays a central role in supporting the implementation of the AU–EU Innovation Agenda, which aims to strengthen partnerships, promote joint research, and accelerate the uptake of innovative solutions addressing shared global challenges.
The Webstream is available here.

 
The AEIP launches an online training programme aimed at strengthening the capacities of African and European incubators and accelerators. Registrations until November 21st, 2025 here
On 22 October 2025, Agrinatura’s President participated in the AU–EU Dialogue on Science Diplomacy, held alongside the AU–EU High-Level Policy Dialogue. This first-ever event highlighted the continents’ shared commitment to building equitable and inclusive science diplomacy partnerships. A new thematic entry point, “How to build equitable Science Diplomacy between the North and the South,” was launched during the session.
Discussions explored synergies among key initiatives such as the European Framework for Science Diplomacy, the Science Diplomacy Capital for Africa, the AU–EU Innovation Agenda, and the EU Science Diplomacy Alliance. The Alliance was presented as a growing community of knowledge and practice, enabling joint action between African and European stakeholders.  It reaffirmed its commitment to advancing inclusive, sustainable, and forward-looking cooperation in science diplomacy. More here.
Importantly, the AU–EU High-Level Policy Dialogue (HLPD) on Science, Technology and Innovation has agreed on two new Research and Innovation priorities to complement the existing Food and Nutrition Security & Sustainable Agriculture (FNSSA), Climate Change & Sustainable Energy (CCSE) and Innovation Agenda portfolios. The new priorities are Artificial Intelligence and Science Diplomacy. These were announced during the Senior Officials Meeting on 24 November. More here.
21st CAADP Partnership Platform 
From 29–31 October 2025, Rwanda hosted the 21st CAADP Partnership Platform (PP) and the 16th Africa Day for Food and Nutrition Security (ADFNS) in Kigali, in collaboration with the African Union Commission and AUDA-NEPAD.
Held under the theme “From Malabo to Kampala: Accelerating Just, Resilient Agrifood Systems Transformation for Nutrition and Sustainable Growth,” the event marked the transition from the Malabo Declaration (2014) to the new CAADP Strategy and Ten-Year Action Plan (2026–2035).
Speakers emphasized moving from commitments to measurable delivery and transformation, with a call to mobilize $100 billion by 2035 for Africa’s agricultural transformation.
The Kampala Declaration was described as a renewed commitment to build resilient, inclusive, and sovereign food systems that ensure zero hunger, equitable livelihoods, and climate resilience across the continent. More here.
Agrinatura President participated to the first IRC Funder’s Working Group Meeting  
The NRF and CIHEAM-Bari, as co-task leaders under the CEA-FIRST initiative, co-hosted the inaugural Funders’ Working Group Meeting of the International Research Consortium (IRC) on Food and Nutrition Security and Sustainable Agriculture (FNSSA). Held on 20 October 2025 at the South African Embassy in Brussels, the event took place as a side meeting to the AU–EU Senior Officials’ Meeting.  It marked an important step in advancing Africa–Europe cooperation in food systems research.
The FNSSA IRC—a “network of networks”—aims to connect research, policy, industry, and funding actors to reduce fragmentation. Discussions focused on FNSSA priorities, investment opportunities, and governance models for the Working Group.
Outcomes will inform a Joint Work Programme to guide collaborative funding and implementation.
The NRF team also joined the Innovation Fair 2025, themed “Enabling That Step Forward,” bringing together over 500 funders, policymakers, and project leaders.
These activities highlighted growing momentum for joint innovation and sustainable food systems between Africa and Europe.
▶ Watch the recording here.
     Agrinatura EEIG Projects  
    Agrinatura EEIG continues to implement impactful projects in sustainable     agriculture, education, and research. Some updates below.
 
Call for environmental experts Cameroon (cassava and rice value chains) and Madagascar (shrimp value chain)-
Work from November 2025 to May 2026.
Deadline to apply: 21 November 2025
Check the ToRs and apply to vca4d@agrinatura-eu.eu (CC giorgia.mei@agrinatura-eu.eu).
Cameroon TOR here.
Madagascar TOR here.
Feel free to apply or share this opportunity within your networks.
Update of the Value Chain Analysis for coffee in Honduras
Actualización del análisis de la cadena de valor del café en Honduras (September 2025) 
The study revisits the coffee value chain to assess recent trends, challenges, and opportunities — likely focusing on issues such as pricing pressures, sustainability, market access, and social and environmental impacts. The update will help stakeholders make better-informed decisions to strengthen the resilience and equity of the Honduran coffee sector. It highlights sustainability and trade risks linked to the EU Deforestation Regulation (RDUE). Given that a large share of Honduran coffee is exported to Europe, non-compliance with RDUE standards could block up to 1.4 million sacks from EU markets.
The study identifies major gaps in traceability, as many producers remain unregistered with IHCAFE, limiting legal and market access. 
While larger exporters are investing in traceability systems to ensure compliance, smallholders and intermediaries risk exclusion due to high costs and technical barriers. Researchers warn that unequal adaptation to RDUE may deepen social and economic divides across the sector.
Recommendations include strengthening legal frameworks, supporting smallholder traceability, and promoting collective certification schemes. The study provides evidence to guide policies fostering an inclusive, deforestation-free coffee sector aligned with EU market requirements. Read the study
Análise da Cadeia de Valor da Pesca na Guiné-Bissau (September 2025) 

Conducted under the EU’s VCA4D programme by Agrinatura, the study (in Portuguese) assessed the sustainability of Guinea-Bissau’s fisheries value chain. It provides the first comprehensive analysis of the sector’s economic, social, and environmental dimensions, based on over 250 stakeholder interviews across four regions.
Findings highlight key challenges, opportunities, and recommendations to strengthen sustainability and inclusion. The results aim to support a resilient, sustainable blue economy aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The Sustainable Agri-Food System Intelligence – Science-Policy Interface ( SASI-SPi) 

Recruitement of an expert in food systems in developing countries (2 year position at CIRAD in Montpellier.
The post is part of the SASI-SPI project, whose purpose is to support the European Union’s Directorate-General for International Partnership (DG-INTPA) by providing useful, solid, reliable scientific information on a variety of issues connected with the transformation of sustainable agrifood systems. The project will help to provide answers to emerging questions in the short term and produce new analyses and reference frameworks regarding food system transformations, and will endeavour to support decision-makers in a policy dialogue concerning the challenges of food systems and in the co-design/adoption of effective transitions towards more sustainable, more inclusive food systems.
More here (English) and for French version here.
 
News from Our Members
 
FiBL

Turning palm oil waste into value for smallholder farmers in the tropics.

Palm oil production generates large amounts of waste—such as empty fruit bunches (EFBs) and palm oil mill effluent (POME)—which can harm the environment if not properly managed.
A recent project in Côte d’Ivoire, led by the Research Institute of Organic Agriculture (FiBL) and funded by REPIC and Coop Switzerland, shows how innovative composting can turn these residues into high-quality compost. In partnership with Plantations Modernes de Côte d’Ivoire (PMCI), a pilot site was set up in Kouakoukro, producing around 900 tons of compost per year. This improves soil fertility, boosts smallholder yields, and reduces waste while supporting more sustainable value chains.
FiBL has produced three short videos (in French with subtitles):
From waste to resource – illustrating the application of compost in palm plantations.
In the field – showing how composting effectively recycles palm oil residues at the pilot site.
Ensuring quality – highlighting the role of a field laboratory in guaranteeing compost quality, safety, and performance.

Further information: Jacques Fuchs, jacques.fuchs@fibl.org

Thomas Bernet, thomas.bernet@fibl.org

WUR   
Consumers spend more on sustainable food again 
In 2024, Dutch consumers once again spent more on sustainable food. Expenditure rose by around 4%, in line with the overall growth in food spending. The share of sustainable food remained stable at 21% of total expenditure. The strongest growth was seen in products with an organic or Fairtrade label. These findings come from the new Sustainable Food Monitor published by Wageningen Social & Economic Research. The increase in expenditure is partly due to more products with sustainability labels being sold. In addition, food prices have risen by an average of 2–5% across sales channels, both for sustainable and for conventional food. In total, Dutch consumers spent almost €14.3 billion on sustainable food, out of a total food expenditure of €68.1 billion.
NRI 
NRI and Defra recently co-hosted a high-level policy forum on the IPBES Transformative Change Assessment (TCA) at the University of Greenwich. The event brought together government representatives, NGOs, and researchers to explore practical strategies for applying the assessment’s findings. Discussions highlighted a key tension: acting urgently versus pursuing deeper, far-reaching transformation. Participants emphasized that short-term measures often leave destructive socioecological systems intact.
True transformation requires sustained changes in views, structures, and practices, even if politically challenging. Urgent reforms alone risk failing to address the root causes of biodiversity loss.
Speakers argued that urgency and transformative change are not mutually exclusive.
The forum stressed the need to extend efforts beyond traditional conservation policy into other policy areas. Collaborative, long-term approaches were highlighted as essential for meaningful biodiversity outcomes.
 
Calls for contributions  
Have your say on the European Research Area (ERA) Act
The European Research Area (ERA) aims to create a unified research and innovation market by aligning national and EU policies, improving research infrastructures and promoting open science and international collaboration. The European Commission launched the public stakeholder consultation on the ERA Act. Contributions can be submitted via the Have Your Say portal.
The initiative aims to tackle long-standing challenges in the EU’s research and innovation system, including fragmented regulatory frameworks, uneven R&D investment, and barriers to researchers’ mobility and knowledge sharing. Consultation here.
 
Global & Policy Events

10-21 November 2025: UN Climate Change Conference (UNFCCC COP 30), Belem, Brazil (hybrid)
20 November  2025: EU Trade Policy Day. Join policymakers, diplomats, industry leaders, and academic experts for a full day of strategic dialogue on global trade, partnerships, competitiveness, and economic security.  Registration
20-23 November 2025: G20 Summit- South Africa.  Read more on the G20 work on R&I HERE.
24-25 November 2025: AU EU Summit, Luanda, Angola
25-27 November 2025: Bioeconomy Innovations and Investments Forum, Bangkok, Thailand.
The Forum provides a platform to exchange knowledge on bioeconomy innovations, strengthen stakeholder capacity, and connect innovators with investors for replication and scaling of successful solutions in Asia and the Pacific supporting ASEAN frameworks such as the Framework for Circular Economy and the ASEAN Action Plan on Sustainable Agriculture.
25-28 November 2025 – FAO webinar to prepare for the Africa Conference on Sustainable Agricultural Mechanization, Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania. Organized by AfricaMechanize, a joint initiative of the African Union, FAO and the African Conservation Tillage Network (ACT), established to operationalize the Framework for Sustainable Agricultural Mechanization in Africa (F-SAMA) and advance sustainable agricultural mechanization across African smallholder farming systems. More information and registration HERE
28 November 2025– International Science Festival/Fête internationale de la science
The Permanent Representation of France to the United Nations in Rome, CIRAD, INRAE and IRD are co-organizing the fifth edition of the “International Science Festival: agriculture, food, environment” is devoted to the issues surrounding food security, food system sustainability and natural resource preservation in a context of population growth and climate change. Find out more
1-5 December 2025: RUFORUM AGM, Gaborone, Botswana
22-23 January 2026, Brussels – Horizon Europe – Cluster 6: Food, Bioeconomy, Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environment info days on the new programme. Hybrid event includes insights into the policy context; in-depth sessions on the next research call topics; a special ‘key-to-success’ session with guidance on crafting strong proposals for EU funding. Looking to build your project consortium? Don’t miss the brokerage event & training for applicants in Brussels on 21 January 2026 to connect with potential partners. Register now here
Resources & New Publications 

The European Commission Knowledge Centres for Global Food and Nutrition Security and Bioeconomy (KCFNS & KCB) has just issued its Newsletter Special Issue (November 2025) on COP30 Spotlight: Food Systems and Climate Change
As the world prepares for COP30, the Knowledge Centre for Global Food and Nutrition Security and the Knowledge Centre for Bioeconomy  present a special joint newsletter, offering a snapshot of the critical links between food systems and climate change, and highlighting some of the key themes.
More  and registration here.
European Research Executive Agency – Stronger science, wider reach: A new service is turning research results into sustainable solutions 
This new dissemination and exploitation service helps projects in Widening countries, associated countries and outermost regions to turn their scientific results into sustainable products and solutions for the public.
More here.
KIT, WUR 
Authors: Jaap Voeten (KIT Institute), Abdullahi Umar (IFDC), Carlo Cucchi (WUR), Yusuf Abdullahi (IFDC), October 2025.
The HortiNigeria programme, implemented by IFDC in partnership with Wageningen Research, East-West Seed International and KIT Institute, is strengthening Nigeria’s horticulture sector across the entire value chain—from production to marketing.
This new learning brief explores how local actors drive innovation within Business-to-Business (B2B) linkages in Kano, Kaduna, Ogun, and Oyo states. Using Actor-Network Theory, it examines ten case studies that reveal how farmers, aggregators, and entrepreneurs are developing creative organisational and marketing solutions to overcome challenges such as informality, pricing gaps, and logistical constraints. From collective marketing and digital platforms to new farmer organisations anchored around practical tools like plastic crates, these innovations are helping make Nigeria’s horticulture sector more inclusive, resilient, and efficient.
HLPE-FSN 2025 report on Building resilient food systems.  
The High Level Panel of Experts on Food Security and Nutrition (HLPE-FSN) launched this report requested by the Committee of World Food Security (CFS). It addresses the urgent need to enhance food system resilience amidst escalating environmental, political and economic challenges. By promoting agency, strengthening socioecological interdependence, and respecting planetary boundaries, the report charts a path toward food security and nutrition for all. It moves beyond traditional notions of resilience, calling instead for “bouncing forward” through structural transformation.
Main policy recommendations include strengthening governance and policy coherence; fostering diverse food systems; enhancing knowledge systems and processes; science-based decision making; and improving emergency preparedness, contingency planning and foresight. With a strong emphasis on protecting marginalized groups, integrating agroecology and circular food systems, and leveraging social protection and market mechanisms, the report reaffirms the CFS and HLPE-FSN’s commitment to building resilient, just, and sustainable food systems for present and future generations.
Call for contributions 
Have your say on the European Research Area (ERA) Act.
The European Research Area (ERA) aims to create a unified research and innovation market by aligning national and EU policies, improving research infrastructures and promoting open science and international collaboration. The European Commission launched the public stakeholder consultation on the ERA Act. Contributions can be submitted via the Have Your Say portal.
The initiative aims to tackle long-standing challenges in the EU’s research and innovation system, including fragmented regulatory frameworks, uneven R&D investment, and barriers to researchers’ mobility and knowledge sharing.
Consultation here. 
Partners across regions globally  
This section highights collaborations and policy developments in R&I involving partner institutions across regions of the Global South.

FARA: Unlocking Africa’s Agri-Food System Through Evidence-Based Policy Decisions 
The Comprehensive Africa Agricultural Development Programme (CAADP) continues to drive Africa’s ambition for agricultural growth and food security through evidence-based policymaking. The Strengthening Evidence-Based Policy Practice for Sustainable Food Systems (StEPPFoS) project, funded by the European Union and coordinated by FARA, plays a vital role in this mission.
In partnership with the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre, WUR, Hohenheim, Agrinatura, ECDPM, and ACU, StEPPFoS builds the capacities of African researchers to link data with decisions. It strengthens the Pan-African Network for Economic Analysis of Policies (PANAP), a key platform supporting informed agricultural and food system reforms.
By aligning efforts within the Food and Nutrition Security and Sustainable Agriculture (FNSSA) framework, StEPPFoS is bridging the gap between policy and practice to foster sustainable, evidence-driven growth across Africa.
More information HERE
RUFORUM: African Universities urged to reinvent themselves to stay relevant to the economy 
This article published by RUFORUM on 23rd October 2025 highlights how Artificial Intelligence (AI) is now embedded in daily life and transforming education worldwide. For Africa, AI presents an opportunity to leapfrog longstanding barriers despite limited resources. Experts emphasize that universities must align graduates’ skills with the demands of a digital, AI-driven economy. Governments in Kenya, Rwanda, and South Africa are already advancing national AI strategies to harness this potential.
Key priorities include revising curricula, building faculty capacity, ensuring ethical AI use, and strengthening industry partnerships.
AI can drive innovation in climate-smart agriculture, health, and governance.
Regional collaboration through the AfCFTA can further enhance research, knowledge exchange, and mobility. With global AI adoption accelerating, inaction could widen the digital divide.
Africa’s universities must lead this transformation — or risk being left behind.
Read more HERE  
Stronger research and innovation cooperation between Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean  
Representatives from the European Union and the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) adopted a Ministerial Declaration and a New Agenda for Cooperation in Research and Innovation. The agreements set out shared priorities, concrete actions, and governance to guide bi-regional cooperation in the years ahead. Work will start immediately with the launch of dedicated Working Groups on health, climate change, environmental sustainability and energy transition, and artificial intelligence in science. These groups, open to voluntary participation from EU and CELAC countries, will prepare 18-month action plans to put these commitments into practice.
Their coordination will be supported by a permanent mechanism linking the European Commission and the CELAC Pro Tempore Presidency. Ministers will reconvene every two years to review progress, agree on new priorities and provide strategic steer of the bi-regional cooperation.
More on background
In 2023, during the EU–CELAC Summit, ministers adopted a joint Declaration and endorsed the New EU–LAC Agenda, giving fresh political momentum to cooperation between the two regions. The agenda called for a dedicated Ministerial meeting on research and innovation to turn that momentum into concrete actions.
More information HERE
 
Egypt becomes second African country to join Horizon Europe 
At the EU–Egypt Summit held in Brussels on 21 October 2025, Egypt has officially joined Horizon Europe, becoming the second African country associated to the EU’s multibillion-euro research and innovation (R&I) programme. This grants Egyptian researchers, universities, innovators and entities access to all parts of the programme on similar terms to those of EU Member States. It enables them to lead projects, contribute to cutting-edge research, and support national research reforms and institutional capacity-building.
This milestone builds on the long-standing EU-Egypt cooperative relationship, providing a platform for strengthened partnership in tackling global challenges, from digital transformation to climate action. It also strengthens regional research and innovation collaboration. The agreement extends Egypt’s participation in the Partnership for Research and Innovation in the Mediterranean Area (PRIMA) to enhance water management, farming systems and food value chains.
 In April 2025, the EU and Egypt successfully concluded negotiations on Egypt’s association to Horizon Europe, reinforcing Egypt’s research and innovation capacities and strengthening its role in regional and international scientific collaboration.
More HERE
Partnership for Research and Innovation in the Mediterranean Area (PRIMA) 
PRIMA is a public-public institutionalized Article 185 European Partnership between the European Union and Participating States. The aim of PRIMA is to build research and innovation capacities and develop knowledge and common innovative solutions in the Mediterranean area in the following thematic areas: water management, farming systems and food value chain.
Since 2019, PRIMA has been integrating into its calls the Water–Energy–Food–Ecosystems (WEFE) Nexus approach to address water, energy, food, and ecosystems as interdependent components of a unified system. The PRIMA programme implementation follows a long-term Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda (SRIA), which provides the vision and strategic direction for the partnership’s actions. PRIMA is a very successful instrument of international cooperation for research and innovation and a good example of science diplomacy in the Mediterranean, a region of geopolitical important for the Union, based on mutual benefit, equal footing, co-ownership, co-decision, and co-financing.
PRIMA is a ten-year initiative (2018-2028), partly funded by EU’s research and innovation programme Horizon 2020 and Horizon Europe.  More HERE
EU Pact for the Mediterranean: One Sea, One Pact, One Future
 On 16th October 2025, the European Commission and the High Representative set out a new ambitious strategy to strengthen EU relations with its Southern Mediterranean partners.
The pact has 3 pillars:
  • People as drivers of innovation and connection, featuring initiatives in higher education, research, youth mobility, and skills development. A Mediterranean University will serve as a flagship project fostering academic and scientific collaboration across the region.
  • Stronger, sustainable and integrated economies, promoting research-driven growth in clean technologies, the blue economy, agriculture, digitalisation, and connectivity.
  • Security, preparedness and migration management to strengthen regional stability.
More information HERE
Read ECDPM Agrinatura member article on the Pact “From pact to policy to practice? Reflections on the EU’s ‘New Pact for the Mediterranean” 17th October 2025.
Contributors to this newsletter:
Tristan Le Cotty, Economist, CIRAD; Jelle Maas, International Liaison Officer, WUR; Caroline Callenius, Expert, European Commission, Joint Research Centre; Joshua Muhumuza, Communications Coordinator, NRI; Lauranne Cox, Communications Advisor, KIT Institute; Nicoletta Maestrini, Digital Marketing and Digital Education Expert, FiBL; CEA First and VC4D teams.
AGRINATURA brings together European universities and research organizations united by a shared commitment to advancing sustainable agricultural development and improving people’s livelihoods. The network focuses on initiatives that create new opportunities for farmers, strengthen food security, and foster innovation across the agro-food sector — all while reducing the environmental footprint of agricultural activities. Through their collective expertise and experience in agricultural research and education for development, AGRINATURA members actively contribute to building more resilient and sustainable food systems worldwide. https://agrinatura-eu.eu
 
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