TRANSFORMING AFRICA’S URBAN FOOD ENVIRONMENTS THROUGH STRENGTHENING LINKAGES BETWEEN FOOD SYSTEMS STAKEHOLDERS IN CITIES ACROSS EUROPE AND THE CONTINENT

AFRIFOOD-Links AfriFOODlinks aims to improve food and nutrition security, while delivering positive outcomes for climate and the environment, and building social and ecological resilience in 65+ Cities (15 African and 5 European Implementation cities and 40+ Network Cities) cities by:1) applying an urban food systems lens to promote shifts to healthy, sustainable diets,2) transforming urban food environments through real-world socio-technical experiments;3) promoting inclusive multi-actor governance to empower public officials, small businesses andcommunities with ownership and agency to shape their food systems; and4) accelerating innovative, women- and youth-led agri-food businesses to support local value addition andinclusive economic participation.AfriFOODlinks invests in direct food system change in 5 African Hub Cities, and invites 10 African and 5 European Sharing Cities to join the Hub Cities on a mutual-learning journey, to share their innovative food systems and to co-design specific pilot projects for implementation in each Sharing City. Researchers, posted within each of the 20 local governments, will support the city to articulate its identified food system challenges and own authentic approach to improving access to healthy, nutritious food - with a particular attention to vulnerable groups - and reducing food related environmental impacts through food systems intervention. In this way, these implementation cities become flagships - beacons of inspiration for urban food systems transitions across the continent to inspire and share with over 40 Network cities, who are invited to adopt and adapt.