Promoting knowledge exchange on agroecology research in DR Congo

15 July 2024

On 7 May, IITA Kalambo hosted a scientific conference to celebrate the Day of Agroecology 2024. Representatives from research institutions, educational institutions, and national and international NGOs attended the conference under the IITA and ETH Zurich DELIBERATE Project.

This Day of Agroecology aligned with the project's activities for exchanging knowledge and research results with the scientific community, farmers, and players in the coffee and soybean agri-food value chains in DR Congo. The conference provided a platform for participating organizations to present their agroecology-related activities and programs, including the consortium of South Kivu universities: Université Catholique de Bukavu (UCB), Université Officiel de Bukavu (UOB), Université Evangélique en Afrique (UEA), and Université Catholique du Graben (UCG).

Million Belay of the civil society organization Alliance for Food Sovereignty in Africa (AFSA) spoke about the research and his institute's practical experiences in agroecology and food sovereignty in Africa. Participants actively contributed to the conference's objective of promoting exchanges on agroecology research as a science, practice, and social movement. Furthermore, the conference aided in disseminating case results to relevant regional players and strengthened collaborations between various institutions. The conference was attended by 125 people, including students, teachers, researchers, and NGO staff.

The DELIBERATE Project, powered by IITA, ETH Zurich, and the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, links the deliberative quality of soy and coffee value chains to ecological and social "foodprints" in South Kivu and Kasai-Lomami, DR Congo.

The conference participants thanked the project's financiers, IITA and UCB, for facilitating the program. The organizers appreciated all the attendees for making the day memorable.

Contributed by Johanna Jacobi

Related story:https://www.iita.org/news-item/iita-and-partners-to-hold-agroecology-day-in-dr-congo/