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Project title

SYNERGI: Mozambique (SociallY iNclusive Edible uRban Green Infrastructure)

Primary Funding Agency

Irish Research Council

Co-Funding Organisation(s)

Department of Foreign Affairs

Lead Organisation

University College Dublin (UCD)

Lead Applicant

n/a

Project Abstract

Low income and vulnerable households, social groups, and communities living in rapidly growing cities across Africa face concurrent challenges of maintaining food security whist coping with experienced impacts of climate change. The aim of SYNERGI is to investigate the potential for co-creating socially inclusive edible Urban Green Infrastructure (UGI) as a strategy to support food security and climate resilience in two such rapidly growing cities in the context of Mozambique: the national capital Maputo and Nampula city. Our focus is on socio-economically vulnerable communities whose access to sufficient and good food is limited, as is their participation in food system structures and outcomes. Our research team will work with CSOs and community groups, using participatory action research and citizen science to co-design, implement and evaluate edible UGI initiatives as practical ways to improve food security outcomes while enhancing climate resilience. Our research will be guided by the following questions: 1) How can edible UGI in Maputo and Nampula be made more socially inclusive? What is required for edible UGI in these cities to effectively address the practical and strategic needs of vulnerable groups? 2) What are the most effective edible UGI designs in Maputo and Nampula for addressing affordability, sustainability, social inclusion, food security and appropriateness? What aspects might be transferable to other city contexts in Africa? 3) What contributions do community UGI initiatives make to food security and climate resilience at micro (household and community) and meso (city) scales in Maputo and Nampula? 4) What governance and policy supports are needed to ensure an enabling environment for socially inclusive edible UGI at these city and local scales? 5) How do our co-produced, bottom-up, empirically-grounded understandings and conceptualisations of socially inclusive edible UGI in Maputo and Nampula advance scholarly debates on urban agriculture and climate resilience strategies in Africa�s cities?

Grant Approved

�349,832.50

Research Hub

n/a

Research Theme

Climate Solutions, Transition Management and Opportunities

Start Date

01/09/2022

Initial Projected Completion Date

01/09/2025