What's the problem we are addressing ? Why is it important? Sub-Saharan African communities face multiple livelihood challenges, including agri-food systems that are under pressure to sustain a growing population, in the context of environmental change, including climate change, and rising fuel and food prices due to global conflict and other global market prices shocks, e.g. the Covid-19 pandemic For the more than 60% of sub-Saharan Africans who are smallholder farmers, agri-food systems are not just sources of income. They are vital for sustainable livelihoods, including food security, sanitation, and access to education and healthcare, and can drive inclusive, locally-led sustainable development within rural communities. What is our approach to solving the problem? BIO4Africa will empower smallholder farmers to generate new sources of income by creating value from locally available biomass, utilising agricultural and food processing residues in a circular, bio-based approach to economic development. Our focus is on developing simple, small-scale and robust bio-based technologies adapted to local needs and contexts, including biomass types. These will support farmers and local businesses to sustainably produce a variety of higher value bio-based products from agriculture and food processing residues (animal feed, fertiliser, pollutant absorbents, construction materials, packaging, solid fuel for cooking and catalysts for biogas production). Products developed through this project will further contribute to sustainable local community development, by addressing food production, household energy, and health needs, e.g. bio-based soil improvement, cooking fuel, and water filtration products. Circular bioeconomy approaches offer opportunities for income generation from agricultural and food processing residues, e.g. corn cobs, while also guiding fossil fuel-free pathways for sustainable community development, e.g. reducing waste directly and over the product life cycle, displacing fossil-based products such as plastics with bio-based alternatives, and developing novel products, e.g. forage-based protein extracts. Developing and strengthening circular bio-based value chains in sub-Saharan Africa can support rural communities to access ecologically and socially sustainable economic opportunities. Project Team and Key Collaborators Côte d’Ivoire: Institut National Polytechnique Félix Houphouet- Boigny (INP-HB) Denmark: Food and Bio-Cluster Denmark France: RAGT Energie SAS & Centre de coopération Internationale en Recherche Agronomique pour le Développement Ireland: Celignis Ltd. & Munster Technological University Ghana: Savannah Young Famers Network (SavaNet), 0km Nomads, Agri-Business Innovation Hub Greece: Q-Plan International Advisors PC, Draxis Environmental SA Kenya: Eastern Africa Farmers’ Federation Society Netherlands: Stichting IHE Delft Institute for Water Education, Grassa BV Senegal: Université Assane Seck De Ziguinchor (UASZ), SCPL SA, Association d’Appui aux Initiatives de Paix et de Développement, Energeco Afrique, GIE Country Farm Spain: Barcelona Plataforma Empresarial SL, Fundacion Corporacion Tecnologica de Andalucia, Sustainable Innovations Europe SL Uganda: Kabarole Research and Resource Centre (KRC), African Forum for Agricultural Advisory Services United Kingdom: African Agricultural Technology Foundation We aim to support the deployment of the bioeconomy in rural areas in four sub-Saharan African countries: Senegal, Ghana, Uganda and Côte d’Ivoire, through 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. During the four-year term of the project: small-scale bio-based technologies will be adapted to local needs and context, and piloted in the target regions, technology pilot cases will be supported by laboratory analysis and field trials of the resulting bio-based products with the target consume