Virtual Food Sustainability Academy (VFSA):
Training, practising and disseminating participatory food system assessments in Latin America and Africa
The course will be managed from Department of Geography and Environmental Studies
The Link Person in the Department is Dr. Stellah Mukhovi Mikalitsa
University of Nairobi is the head of communication for the Africa region. Meaning the website for University of Nigeria and any other potential universities in Africa under FSNet- Africa shall be managed from university of Nairobi.
The project is funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNF). It brings together 5 institutions: University of Bern, University of Nairobi, University of Nigeria, Nsukka,Andean-Amazon Pluricultural Community for Sustainability (COMPAS), and National University of Columbia. The project begun on 1st of January 2021 and will end 30th December 2021. The first year is development of materials, development of website, launching the academy, training (virtual and physical-practical learning), and updating the website with new information. After the first year, it’s expected that the various institutions will take up the academy and run it as part of their virtual courses.
The Virtual Food Sustainability Academy (VFSA) is a network and online platform of old and new partners related to the FoodSAF project (Towards Food Sustainability: Reshaping the Coexistence of Different Food Systems in South America and Africa). The FOODSAF project which was funded by SNF and Swiss programme for Research on Global Issues for Development was implemented first, in phase one -two countries (Kenya and Bolivia) and phase two; Africa (Kenya, Zambia, and Ghana), and South America (Bolivia, Brazil and Colombia).
Based on the identified need of a modular university education program for students, academics, and practitioners on participatory food sustainability assessments, the VFSA provides training materials and implements courses on participatory food sustainability assessments and co-creating transformative actions. The VFSA focuses on the elaboration, application and dissemination of an open-access training on the FoodSAF tool for researchers and students for its empirical application through virtual-practical university courses on sustainable food systems with partners of the r4d network in South America and Africa using a three-step“TIC-TAC-TEP”-methodology (Technologies of Information and Communication, Technologies for Learning and Knowledge, and Technologies of Empowerment and Participation), and a “Dialogue of Knowledge”-approach. The Virtual Food Sustainability Academy will contribute to the achievement of SDG 12 on sustainable consumption and production by training champions who can spread and apply the food sustainability approach beyond where the r4d project has been able to reach, and in the end contribute to the UN global agenda for sustainable food systems while at the same time enhancing skills and opportunities for food systems transformations.
A course on food sustainability is timely since University of Nairobi is a member of Food systems Research Network for Africa (FSNeT-Africa) that brings together nine universities in Africa that seeks tostrengthen food systems research capabilities and the translation of evidence into implementable policy solutions and practical interventions in support of the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) targets for Africa. The vision is to initiate the process of institutionalization of the course in the curricula of the partner universities, and several member universities of the Glocal Network on Food Sustainability in Latin America and the FSNet Africa through raising the awareness of other universities about the VFSA.
Modules to be taught are:
- Introductory module on five pillars of food sustainability
- Right to food
- Food security
- Environmental performance
- Social-ecological Resilience
- Poverty and inequality
- Practical skills in Food sustainability assessment
Pillars of food sustainability
