AfroGrow: Informed Decision-Making for Agroforestry Systems in Africa through a Network of Living Labs

White Research is proud to announce its participation in AfroGrow, a transformative project under the Horizon Europe research framework, officially launched in January 2025. This initiative brings together 25 partners from 15 countries, aiming to revolutionise agroforestry across Africa by fostering innovation, collaboration, and capacity-building action.

AfroGrow: Transforming Agroforestry in Africa

AfroGrow is committed to advancing sustainable agroforestry practices across Africa addressing climate resilience, biodiversity conservation and socio-economic development. By establishing six Living Labs as hubs for participatory research and knowledge exchange, the project promotes resilient, inclusive and environmentally sustainable practices. These Living Labs serve as real-life environments where stakeholders collaboratively design, test, and implement sustainable agroforestry solutions tailored to diverse ecological and socio-economic contexts.

White Research’s Role in AfroGrow

As a key partner, White Research leads Work Package 1 (WP1), which aims to develop a gender-responsive Multi-Actor Approach (MAA) Strategy to strengthen the EU–Africa Partnership on agroforestry management. This strategy will support needs-based agroforestry practices tailored for climate change mitigation, adaptation, and biodiversity preservation. Based on this framework and on co-creation and engagement guidelines, six Regional Multi Actor Platforms and a Pan African Hub will be established. Furthermore, White Research leads Task 5.2 (T5.2), which focuses on deploying awareness-raising actions through targeted engagement activities, including socio-ecological nudges, behavioural interventions, and interactive quizzes.

Key Objectives and Vision

AfroGrow envisions the transformation of agroforestry systems into resilient, multi-functional landscapes that:

• Enhance Food Security: Improving the productivity and resilience of agroforestry systems to enhance food security.
• Mitigate Climate Change: Implementing practices that sequester carbon and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
• Promote Inclusive Growth: Empowering local communities, with a focus on gender equity and inclusion of marginalised groups.
• Support Biodiversity: Identifying and recommending plant and animal species to create balanced ecosystems.

Specifically, by leveraging digital tools and fostering EU-Africa partnerships, AfroGrow aims to lay the groundwork for prosperity and equity for future generations.

Added Value of AfroGrow

The project addresses critical challenges such as desertification, land degradation, and socio-economic inequalities by:

• Innovating through Living Labs that will serve as dynamic hubs for participatory research and co-design of solutions.
• Empowering with digital tools and providing training programs and resources to make agroforestry practices more accessible and economically viable.
• Driving Policy and Partnerships to deliver data-driven, harmonised policy recommendations to strengthen Africa-EU collaborations and support the Green Transition.