Boosting plant health and reducing losses on farm and during storage for sustainable growth in Africa (FNSSA)
Programme Category
Programme Name
Programme Description
Horizon Europe is the European Union (EU) funding programme for the period 2021 – 2027, which targets the sectors of research and innovation. The programme’s budget is around € 95.5 billion, of which € 5.4 billion is from NextGenerationEU to stimulate recovery and strengthen the EU’s resilience in the future, and € 4.5 billion is additional aid.
Identifier Code
Call
Summary
Plant pests affecting crops in the field and/or harvests during storage are an important burden to food security, contributing to significant food losses in Africa. These can also affect internal markets and trade.
It is thus crucial to tackle the impact of plant pests in an integrated manner, while ensuring this is done through technologies and practices fostering agricultural sustainability, resilience to climate change and safeguarding biodiversity.
Detailed Call Description
Proposals should:
- advance knowledge on biology, mechanism of disease, spread dynamics, and climate change impacts on key plant pests across different African agro-ecosystems, considering also climate change impacts;
- develop cost-effective, environmentally friendly methods, tools and strategies that are safe to consumers for the sustainable management of the most impactful plant pests in Africa, aiming to minimise crop losses both at pre-harvest and during storage of harvests;
- foster agroecological integrated pest management practices aiming at reducing the impact of plant pests;
- improve productivity and the quality of crop products in the African agricultural systems by reducing the impact of plant pests.
Insects, weeds, fungi, bacteria, and viruses that can damage crops fall within the scope of this topic and are considered plant pests. Applicants are expected to explain and justify the choice of pest(s) in alignment with the proposal’s objectives and the topic’s expected outcomes.
The actions funded under this topic are relevant to the EU policies related to EU Vision for Agriculture and Food, the Global Gateway strategy, contribute to the African Union-EU High Level Policy Dialogue on Science, Technology and Innovation and to the respective R&I partnerships on Food and Nutrition Security and Sustainable Agriculture (FNSSA) and on Climate Change and Sustainable Energy. Projects under this topic are relevant for the climate objectives of the African Union and the EU, and for the commitments of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.
Proposals should contribute to the implementation of the short-term and medium-term actions outlined in the AU-EU Innovation Agenda in the priority area of Green Transition (notably action (4) among short-term actions and (1) and (3) for medium-term actions), and aim to translate R&I efforts into tangible business, products, services, development and employment opportunities in Africa and Europe.
Furthermore, when relevant proposals are encouraged to seek connections with Regional Multi-actors Research Networks on Agroecology supported by the EC in Africa.
Proposals must implement the multi-actor approach to ensure the adequate involvement of the public authorities, advisory services, farmer organisations, and industry.
Proposals should adopt an inclusive approach that respects and integrates local knowledge and practices alongside technological and scientific expertise, where indigenous insights are enriched by innovative approaches and new technologies through mutual learning.
Call Total Budget
Financing percentage by EU or other bodies / Level of Subsidy or Loan
100%
Expected EU contribution per project: €6.00 million.
Thematic Categories
- Agriculture - Farming - Forestry
- Agriculture - Food
- Environment and Climate Change
- Research, Technological Development and Innovation
- Rural development
- Small-Medium Enterprises and Competitiveness
- Social Affairs & Human Rights
Eligibility for Participation
- Associations
- Businesses
- Central Government
- Educational Institutions
- Farmers Unions
- Farmers, Agriculturalists
- Local Authorities
- Natual person / Citizen / Individual
- NGOs
- Non Profit Organisations
- Other Beneficiaries
- Private Bodies
- Producer Associations
- Researchers/Research Centers/Institutions
- Services Providers
- Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs)
- State-owned Enterprises
Eligibility For Participation Notes
The following additional eligibility criteria apply: the proposals must apply the multi-actor approach. See definition of the multi-actor approach in this work programme part.
International organisations with headquarters in a Member State or Associated Country are exceptionally eligible for funding.
The following additional eligibility criteria apply: due to the specific challenge of this topic, in addition to the minimum number of participants set out in the General Annexes, consortia must include at least three independent legal entities established in an African Union member state*.
Due to the scope of this topic, legal entities established in all African Union member states* are exceptionally eligible for Union funding. * “African Union member states” includes countries whose membership has been temporarily suspended.
A number of non-EU/non-Associated Countries that are not automatically eligible for funding have made specific provisions for making funding available for their participants in Horizon Europe projects.
Call Opening Date
Call Closing Date
National Contact Point(s)
Research and Innovation Foundation
29a Andrea Michalakopoulou, 1075 Nicosia,
P.B. 23422, 1683 Nicosia
Telephone: +357 22205000
Fax: +357 22205001
Email: support@research.org.cy
Website: https://www.research.org.cy/en/
Contact Person:
Marcia Trillidou
Scientific Officer A’
Email: trillidou@research.org.cy