Imagine trying to change a giant, complex machine where every gear affects another; that is like changing how a whole region grows and eats food. This work maps out how switching from maize to other crops or moving from local to export markets affects people, animals, and nature. It creates a roadmap to help governments and businesses make these changes without causing unexpected crashes in health or the environment.
Companies expanding into Southern African agriculture struggle to predict how changing crop patterns or market shifts affect regional health and environmental stability. This lack of data creates high risk for long-term investment in new crop varieties or export infrastructures.
An interactive online food systems map and a set of Representative Transformation Pathways (RTPs) to model future food system scenarios.
If you are a crop producer dealing with the risk of shifting from domestic to export markets — this project developed representative transformation pathways that help predict how these changes impact regional health and environment. This allows for better risk management when scaling operations.
If you are a consultancy dealing with poor crop yields and malnutrition — this project developed training for agricultural extension services on integrated soil health and nutrition assessments. This provides a standardized method to improve land productivity and food quality.
If you are a manufacturer dealing with over-reliance on maize-based ingredients — this project developed data on diet diversification and transformations out of maize. This helps identify new, sustainable raw material sources for product development.
Based on available project data, there is no specific pricing or cost information provided for the tools or training.
The project focuses on local, national, and regional scales across 4 countries, suggesting the models are designed for large-scale systemic application rather than a single factory.
Based on available project data, there is no mention of patents or specific licensing terms for the integrated modelling tools.
The project identifies leverage points at national and regional government levels to help create action plans for food system changes.
The project runs from 2022-10-01 to 2026-03-31, with field research and data collection already completed as of the 30-month mark.
The consortium is heavily academic, with 7 universities and 1 research institute leading the 13 partners. However, it maintains a practical link to the market with 1 industry partner and 1 SME, and includes 4 'other' organizations to bridge the gap between research and field application across 9 countries.
Contact Wageningen University regarding the interactive food systems mapping tool.
Request access to the Representative Transformation Pathways for Southern African markets.
