Food systems

Resilience of food systems through the valorization of traditional knowledge

Brief description of the project

Traditional knowledge has proven to be effective in terms of the resilience and sustainability of food systems. However, it is still largely unrecognized in institutional settings and virtually unknown to younger generations.

Building on the“Knowledge Center for Organic Agriculture and Agroecology in Africa (KCOA)” program implemented by GIZ , the “RESAVAT” project aims to provide an innovative response to this challenge. This is to be achieved through a multi-stakeholder approach consisting of integrating this knowledge into schools and agricultural training institutes and promoting political dialog on traditional knowledge in public policy.

The expected long-term change is the emergence of an institutional environment in which traditional knowledge is recognized as a legitimate resource for strengthening local adaptive capacities and ensuring agroecological change in Senegal.

Project goals 

• Use of traditional knowledge related to agroecology and organic farming to preserve the traditional wealth of local communities.
• Enhancement of traditional knowledge through its dissemination and integration into agricultural training programs and initiatives for ecological change in agriculture.
• Promote the integration of agroecology based on traditional knowledge into public agricultural and food policies.