BRAINS Project

The BRAINS Project aims to transform agriculture in 15 African countries by integrating beans, beneficial insects, and fruit trees like mangoes, citrus, and avocados, promoting low-carbon practices, and enhancing climate resilience, particularly among women and youth farmers through climate-smart technologies. It is implemented by PABRA and icipe in partnership with several NARS and private sector actors.

Project Name: Building Equitable Climate-Resilient African Bean & INsect Sectors

Start and end year: 2024-2028

Region and Countries: Sub-Saharan Africa (Burundi, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Ghana, Guinea, Kenya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mozambique, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe)

Funders: Global Affairs Canada

Partners: The major partners are NARS, the private sector, and International Center of Insect Physiology and Ecology (icipe) as a co-implementor.

BRAINS Project - Image 1

Project Description

The BRAINS Project aims to address critical challenges in African agriculture by enhancing climate resilience and promoting sustainable farming practices. Many African farmers, especially women and youth, face the dual pressures of climate change and poor agricultural productivity. These challenges are exacerbated by environmental degradation, such as soil erosion, and limited access to climate-smart farming technologies. BRAINS seeks to solve these issues by integrating beans, beneficial insects such as bees and Black soldier fly, and fruit trees, such as mangoes, citrus, and avocados, into farming systems. This approach fosters biodiversity, improves soil health, and enhances crop yields while reducing the carbon footprint of farming activities. The project promotes low-carbon agricultural practices, ensuring that farming contributes less to climate change and becomes more resilient to its effects. Through participatory climate-smart technologies, BRAINS empowers local farmers, particularly women and youth, to adopt innovative and sustainable practices that improve food security, increase income, and build long-term resilience against climate shocks. By reaching over 70 million people in 15 African countries, the project aims to uplift vulnerable farming communities and drive positive environmental and economic transformation across the continent.

The Project intends to achieve the following:

  • Enhancing climate resilience more equitably among women and youth farmers and other value chain actors
  • Scaling the adoption of climate-smart agriculture (CSA) technologies that boost climate resilience across targeted production systems.
  • Build a pipeline of enterprises actively investing in carbon-neutral, climate-resilient, and gender-responsive business development in line with emerging climate finance sector goals.

Key Activities

The key activities of the BRAINS Project include:

  • Integration of Beans, Insects, and Fruit Trees: Promoting the inclusion of beans, beneficial insects, and fruit trees (mangoes, citrus, and avocados) into farming systems to enhance biodiversity, soil health, and crop productivity.
  • Promotion of Low-Carbon Practices: Encouraging sustainable, low-carbon agricultural techniques that reduce environmental impact while increasing climate resilience in farming communities.
  • Climate-Smart Technologies: Accelerating the adoption of participatory, climate-smart technologies tailored to local needs, helping farmers adapt to climate change and improve crop yields.
  • Capacity Building for Women and Youth: Empowering women and youth farmers through training, resources, and support to adopt innovative farming practices, ensuring inclusivity in agricultural development.
  • Strengthening Local Partnerships: Collaborating with local and international research institutions, such as the Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT, PABRA, and icipe, to develop and deliver effective solutions tailored to the region's specific agricultural and climate challenges.
  • Knowledge Sharing and Outreach: Facilitating the sharing of best practices, knowledge, and resources across the 15 countries involved, fostering collaboration and scalability for broader impact.

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