Changemaker objective: To implement & evaluate a sustainable health intervention program on health, nutrition, & environmental outcomes for the primary prevention of adolescent obesity & related non-communicable diseases (NCDs) together with adolescents in three rapidly urbanizing cities in Burkina Faso, Kenya, Tanzania. Background: There is an increasing epidemic of adolescent obesity that can contribute to adult obesity, morbidity & NCDs in a broader sense. Sustainable health interventions in urban low- and middle-income countries are critical in addressing lifestyle factors that contribute to obesity, diabetes & hypertension in later life, such as unhealthy dietary habits, inactivity & sedentary behaviors while shaping urban environments. Considering obesity is a complex issue that is influenced by wide range of interconnected factors, such as policy, environment, social, economic, cultural, behavioral, commercial, & biological determinants, a whole-systems approach that converges multiple sectors (i.e., health, education, environment, and agriculture) and stakeholders (i.e., adolescents, caregivers, staff, local government, communities, policymakers & implementers) are needed for obesity prevention in LMICs. Our strategy: Four evidence-based strategies, which will be adapted to context through a co-design process: 1) urban farming in schools with satellite farms and organic waste composting, 2) sustainable health modules for classrooms, 3) linking to healthcare workers through health talks using motivational interviewing techniques and 4) WHO Best Buys: Mass media campaign. Our evaluation: 3 cluster-RCTs in secondary schools, within the framework of urban Health & Demographic Surveillance Systems, implementation, process evaluation & cost-effective evaluation. Our expected results: Evidence of how to implement and scale a sustainable health intervention. Estimate a mean difference in BMI of 0.175 which could lead to reduction of 5% in the prevalence of obesity.

INNOECOFOOD aims to establish innovative production/ business ECOHUBS and improve local aquaculture farms using AI and IoT in six African countries. To support EU-AU markets and trade, INNOECOFOOD will train rural farmers, youth and women to innovatively produce and process nutritious aquaculture catfish and tilapia, blue-green cyanobacteria spirulina, and insect value chains that will be processed into certified marketable human food products and feed. This farm to fork approach, reaching TRL7, will be achieved by using climate smart sustainable local resources, innovative chilling and drying processes using renewable energy, reduced water consumption and circular systems within the ECOHUB by an experienced multi-actor consortium comprising 20 partners in Europe and Africa and rural communities. The specific objectives are to: - Conduct scoping of aquaculture practices (living labs) and establish four sustainable and innovative agribusiness rural ECOHUBS using renewable solar/wind energy for the production, processing and marketing of aquaculture value chains (fish and Spirulina) and insects in diverse African countries (WP2), to address AU and EU green deal and trade. - Optimize the production of eco-farmed fish, spirulina and insects, sustainable feeds and post-harvest processing technologies using sensors, AI and IoT technology in aquaculture ECOHUBS and living labs sites (WPs3-5). - Scope suitable plant products; up cycle fish waste nutrients and make novel products from fish and co-products, spirulina and insects by solar powered drying and extrusion processing, using AI sensors and IoT (WP6). - Validate nutritional and sensory quality, microbiological and chemical safety, consumer acceptance, life cycle analysis impact, and implement certification schemes for fish, spirulina and insect processing and products, for consumption, marketing and trade (WP7). - Create a database and train locally 120 youth and 120 women in the ECOHUBSand 5000 rural workers (WP8).

Various forms of malnutrition, including hunger, micronutrient deficiencies and non-communicable diseases caused by unbalanced nutrition, threaten food security in Africa. The project HealthyDiest4Africa is based on the central hypothesis that diversification of the food system helps to combat all forms of malnutrition while minimizing its environmental footprint. To this aim, we will monitor dietary diversity in eight African countries representing different regions, and develop target group-specific metrics to measure the diversity of the food system and its health outcomes. A production-oriented cluster of the project will explore environmentally sustainable options to diversity food production that specifically address the nutritional requirements identified for the target populations. This includes the development of novel and biofortified crop varieties, utilization of orphan crops with high nutritional value, and diversification of cropping systems and food processing technology. We will link these efforts with a consumption-oriented cluster exploring the consumer acceptance, food safety, and nutritional health effects of diet diversification options. The best solutions that contribute to healthy diets via diversification while also promoting environmental health will be up-scaled via a network of food system stakeholders in eight African countries. HealthyDiets4Africa will also devise communication and policy strategies to maximize outreach and impact of diversified food systems. Thereby the project will help to develop safe, healthy and affordable diets by adopting a diversification strategy that will simultaneously reduce the pressure of food production on the environment.