The project aims to enhance the professional profile of African VET teachers and trainers in the field of agriculture and rural development by offering online, face to face and work based learning opportunities. In order to do so, SEED4AFRICA will support the establishment of an international network of VET – Vocational Education and Training – providers in three different countries (Italy, Belgium and Spain) and four Sub-Saharan countries (Nigeria, Benin, Kenya and South Africa) with the potential to furtherly extend within the EU, as well as in the whole southern African region. Project activities will promote the enhancement of VET quality and attractiveness, with a specific focus on smart, digital and sustainable farming, in particular by:- adapting and transferring the results of three good practices financed by the Erasmus+ programme for the design of innovative training approaches and materials in agricultural education, namely: SEED - Smart Entrepreneurial Education and training in Digital farming; PONICS VET - Hydroponics Agricultural Technician; LiveAdapt - Solutions for the adaptation of Extensive Livestock to Climate Change.- enhancing communication and cooperation among VET providers, at local and international level, exchanging good practices, initiatives and tools, also with the organization of job shadowing and technical visits for African VET teachers and technical staff in the schools of the ENNE National Networks represented in the project;- innovating the provision of VET programmes encouraging the collaboration between educational institutions, public authorities and private companies, especially through the conduction of contest based initiatives, such as hackathons and innovation bootcamps, where mixed teams of VET students and Agriculture stakeholders will co-design digital and entrepreneurial solutions for societal challenges linked to the Sustainable Development Goals of the Agenda 2030.

Today more than half of the planet’s inhabitants live in cities and this is projected to increase. The world-wide migration of rural people to cities is particularly prominent in West Africa. This leads to increased practicing of peri-urban agriculture, supported by a) the lack of formal jobs and as a means of adding up to household income in low and middle-income countries (LMIC), b) the young generations of farmers are not willing to live in remote areas, c) initial stages of agriculture intensification in LMIC usually involves concentration of production in peri-urban areas. Even though intensified peri-urban farming has significant advantages, it also introduces concerns about zoonotic diseases, sanitary issues, local environmental degradation, antimicrobial resistance and more. Especially in LMIC, the intensification of food systems, as they transition from subsistence to market-oriented production, is typically associated with human health risks. URBANE is addressing this challenge of sustainable agriculture for food nutrition security, applying a One Health approach for tackling issues related to the application & intensification of peri-urban agriculture, as well as providing the necessary framework for its sustainable & safe application in different contexts. To achieve this, the project will be built around the principles of agroecology. URBANE is building on the extensive experience in agroecology of its partners whilst exploiting friendly tools & methods for measuring the progress & impact of the agroecological transition of farming. The URBANE approach will be demonstrated through 6 case studies in Africa, while its transferability in other regions will also be studied and facilitated through specific tools. New/ adapted business models will also be worked out for the URBANE case studies, that will act as lighthouse examples of how such business models can be - with suitable local adaptations informed by local specificities.