Organic Food Systems Africa

The main aim of the project is to undertake a comprehensive com-parative analysis of sustainability of organic and conventional smallholder farms (about 2,000 farms) in Ghana, Kenya and Uganda, identify specific sustainability improvement measures and develop recommendations among the participating farms.

In the second phase, the results of the sustainability assessment will be the basis for targeted capacity building among farmers, advisors and researchers. The findings about the sustainability performance of organic and conventional farming systems will be disseminated to decisionmakers in policy and business as well as other stakeholders in the Ecological Organic Agriculture (EOA) community and beyond.

OFSA builds onto the ProEcoAfrica productivity and profitability assessments among organic and conventional farming systems in Ghana and Kenya and will provide science-based results on the impacts of the farming practices among these organic and conventional farmers in as far as sustainability categories of social, economic, environmental and governance contexts are concerned.

Specific Objectives:

1. Generate comparative sound data and contextual evidence on sustainability of organic and conventional farming systems in GH, KE, and UG.
2. Strengthen knowledge and capacity of EOA researchers and practitioners (including Students).
3. To support and inform policies on Ecological Organic Agriculture (EOA) and related.

Expected Outcomes:

• A more holistic scientific assessment of smallholder organic agriculture sustainability and performance in Ghana, Kenya and Uganda developed and available for application and/or adaptation to other developing countries.
• Sound comparative data and evidence on sustainability of organic and conventional farming systems in Ghana, Kenya and Uganda generated.
• Participating farmers have better understanding of the impacts of their farming practices and have more knowledge on how to improve the sustainability of their farming system.
• Project results contribute to the evidence-based formation of decisions in business and politicies in agricultural and related sectors.
• Improved transparency in the decisions on purchase of raw material in the food sector and to a higher demand of sus-tainable raw products.

OFSA is supported financially by:

• Mercator Foundation Switzerland

OFSA complements the ProEcoAfrica Project which is supported financially by:

• Dutch Humanist Institute for Cooperation (Hivos)
• Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation

• Foundation Mercator Switzerland – Organic agriculture and food

The implementing partners are:

Ghana

• Agro Eco-Louis Bolk Institute
• University of Ghana, College of Basic and Applied Sciences
• Directorate of Crop Services, Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MOFA)

Kenya

• Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization (KALRO)
• International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (icipe)

International

• International Federation of the Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM)

National advisory committees in the project countries, and the project steering committee:

http://www.proecoafrica.net/advisoryproject-steering.html

• Kadzere-Forichi Irene (Department of International Cooperation)
• Schader Christian (Department of Food System Sciences)

• Adamtey Noah (Department of International Cooperation)
• Blockeel Johan (Department of Food System Sciences)
• Fliessbach Andreas (Department of Soil Sciences)
• Heidenreich Anja (Department of Food System Sciences)
• Huber Beate (Vice-chairwoman of the Management Board; Department of International Cooperation)
• Nicolay Gian L. (Department of International Cooperation)
• Schader Christian (Department of Food System Sciences)
• Schlatter Bernhard (Department of Food System Sciences)
• Ssebunya Brian (Department of Food System Sciences)
• Stolze Mathias (Support unit of the Executive Committee)
• Weisshaidinger Rainer (Sustainability assessment)

Coordination

Further information on the SMART Farm Tool for sustainability assessment can be found at:

www.fibl.org/en/themes/smart-en.html

• Policy & Sector Development (Department of International Cooperation, FiBL Switzerland)
• Resilient Cropping Systems (Department of International Cooperation, FiBL Switzerland)
• Sustainability assessment (FiBL Austria)
• Sustainability (Department of Food System Sciences, FiBL Switzerland)