Digitalization in Small-Scale Urban
Recirculation Aquaculture:
Data Analytics in Sub-Saharan Africa

Food and nutrition insecurity, affecting 30% of the global population in 2020, poses a significant challenge to achieving Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 2 – Zero Hunger. Urbanization, particularly in sub-Saharan African cities e.g. Lagos, Nigeria, exacerbates these issues, impacting resources and contributing to informal settlements. There is emphasis on innovative solutions in urban farming, with Recirculating Aquaculture Systems (RAS) emerging as one of the promising approach due to its efficiency in space and capital utilization. However, maintaining optimal conditions in RAS, crucial for SDG 2 and 11, requires robust water quality monitoring. This study explores the availability of digital tools for water quality monitoring in small-scale urban RAS, evaluating handheld devices and IoT sensors' reliability through t-test statistical method. The results aim to guide practitioners in selecting effective monitoring tools, contributing valuable insights for sustainable aquaculture in urban areas, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, where access to affordable digital solutions is pivotal for success and can attract youth to agri-food technologies.

Publications

Aghaji, U.V.; Benjamin, E.O.; Buchenrieder, G. Digitalization in Small-Scale Urban Recirculation Aquaculture: Data Analytics in Sub-Saharan Africa. Preprints 2023, 2023111703.

Evaluation of Growth, Yield and Bioactive Compounds of Ethiopian Kale (Brassica carinata A. Braun) Microgreens under Different LED Light Spectra and Substrates

Microgreens are innovative vegetable products whose production and consumption are gaining popularity globally thanks to their recognized nutraceutical properties. To date, the effects of lighting conditions and growing substrate on the performances of Brassica carinata microgreens (indigenous to Africa) remain underexplored. The present study aimed at providing insights into the influence of different lighting treatments provided by LEDs, namely monochromatic blue (B), red (R), cool white (W) and a combination of three color diodes (B + R + W), and substrates (cocopeat, sand and cocopeat–sand mix (v/v) (1:1)) on the growth, yield and bioactive compounds of B. carinata microgreens. Seeds were germinated in dark chambers and cultivated in growth chambers equipped with LED lighting systems for 14 days under a fixed light intensity of 160 ± 2.5 µmol m−2 s−1 and photoperiod of 12 h d−1. The best performances were associated with the spectrum that combined B + R + W LEDs and with substrate resulting from the cocopeat–sand mix, including the highest yield (19.19 g plant−1), plant height (9.94 cm), leaf area (68.11 mm2) and canopy cover (55.9%). Enhanced carotenoid and flavonoid contents were obtained with B + R + W LEDs, while the B LED increased the total amount of chlorophyll (11,880 mg kg−1). For plants grown under B + R + W LEDs in cocopeat, high nitrate levels were observed. Our results demonstrate that substrate and light environment interact to influence the growth, yield and concentration of bioactive compounds of B. carinata microgreens.

Publications

Maru, R.N.; Wesonga, J.; Okazawa, H.; Kavoo, A.; Neondo, J.O.; Mazibuko, D.M.; Maskey, S.; Orsini, F. Evaluation of Growth, Yield and Bioactive Compounds of Ethiopian Kale (Brassica carinata A. Braun) Microgreens under Different LED Light Spectra and Substrates. Horticulturae 2024, 10, 436. https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae10050436

The Disenfranchisement of Practitioners and the Public Sector in Innovative Urban Farming in Sub-Saharan Africa: Insights from Nigeria

Innovative urban farming is crucial for enhancing food security, nutrition, livelihood resilience, and environmental sustainability in Sub-Saharan African cities. However, agricultural policies and extension services often overlook urban contexts, presumably due to resource constraints. Yet, to improve productivity, understanding the challenges and opportunities of innovative urban farming is essential. Exploratory qualitative research, including focus group discussions, was conducted in, Lagos, Nigeria, to gather insights from stakeholders. The analysis, using mind maps and a consensus index, compared the perspectives of private urban farmers and public sector representatives. The urban farmers recognize the potential of circular agri-food technologies, like hydroponics, aquaponics, recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS), drip irrigation, sack farming, and waste upcycling, to boost productivity. However, the urban farmers perceive a lack of public sector support for these innovations. The public sector representatives see the problem as urban farmers’ behavioral and educational shortcomings, particularly their lack of coordination and commitment to adopting innovations. These differing views highlight the complex dynamics between urban farmers and local agricultural policymakers. This study emphasizes the need for structural changes and local-level stakeholder dialogues for developing effective urban farming policies in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Publications

Benjamin EO, Adegoke A, Buchenrieder GR. The Disenfranchisement of Practitioners and the Public Sector in Innovative Urban Farming in Sub-Saharan Africa: Insights from Nigeria. Land. 2024; 13(7):963.

Incitis-food: Food security and environmental justice in African city regions

Dr Buchenrieder, Dr Benjamin from the University of the Bundeswehr Munich, and Dr Radišić and MS.c. Trivunić, from Foodscale Hub, introduce the INCiTiS-FOOD project for improved food and nutrition security in African urban and peri-urban areas

Publications

Buchenrieder, G., Benjamin, E., Radišić, M., & Trivunić Stojilović, O. (2024). Incitis-food: Food security and environmental justice in African city regions. Open Access Government October 2024, pp.432-433. https://doi.org/10.56367/OAG-044-11659

Toward nutrient cycling from organic waste streams for soilless cultivation

Soilless cultivation offers multiple benefits, such as higher productivity, reduced pesticide use, maximised water use efficiency, and protection from adverse environmental conditions, and will play an ever-greater role in providing food for the growing population. Whilst hydroponics denotes the use of nutrients of mineral origin, bioponics connects organic waste streams with microbial transformation and soilless cultivation, placing it at the centre of circular food production. Commercial bioponic growers need industrially produced fertilisers that are consistent in their quality and produce comparable yields to mineral fertilisers. This opinion piece examines four key issues that we think will determine whether recovered fertilisers become widely adopted by commercial soilless growers — efficacy, safety, sustainability, and economic viability — and concludes by proposing a roadmap to guide their development.

Publications

Junge, R., Schmautz, Z., & Milliken, S. (2025). Toward nutrient cycling from organic waste streams for soilless cultivation. Elsevier Ltd. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cofs.2024.101257

Co-creative rapid assessment for actionable circular food systems

This paper focuses on the use of rapid assessments for local food systems in eight African cities (Bamenda, Cameroon; Franceville, Gabon; Ibadan, Nigeria; Lagos, Nigeria; Moyamba, Sierra Leone; Nairobi and Nakuru, Kenya; and Tamale, Ghana). The INCiTiS-FOOD project (INtegrated and Circular Technologies for Sustainable city region FOOD systems in Africa) conducted a food systems assessment using a bottom-up and living lab approach to gain insights into the local poten­tial for circular technologies centered around aqua­ponics, hydroponics, and insect farming. The find­ings allowed us to define a strategic direction and highlights the need for more fish and locally grown indigenous vegetables, as access to these disciplines has been limited by a lack of knowledge facilities and finances. We learned that co-creative rapid assessments are a promising method to raise aware­ness of the specific opportunities, challenges, and bottlenecks in the community, and to align the local community with actionable food system transformation.

Publications

Obeng, E., Desczka, S., Tsvetkov, B., Kumar, I., & Galema, S. (2025). Co-creative rapid assessment for actionable circular food systems. Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development, 14(2), 231–249. https://doi.org/10.5304/jafscd.2025.142.005

Green beans production and its water filtration efficacy in green beans-African catfish (Clarias gariepinus) aquaponics systems

A pilot project through the European Union-funded project titled “INtegrated and Circular Technologies for Sustainable city region FOOD systems in Africa” (INCiTiS-FOOD) was carried out in the living lab of the Bamenda University of Science and Technology (BUST) with the objective to assess green beans productivity and its phytofiltration potentials in a closed recirculating catfish aquaponics system.

Publications

Kelly Neh Ngepopi 1 , Balgah Roland Azibo 1,2 , Tabi Kingsley Mbi 3

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Simplified hydroponic booklet

This manual is designed to guide readers in implementing small to medium-scale simplified hydroponic systems for vegetable crop production. Simplified hydroponics takes the principles of commercial high-tech systems and adapts them to use low-cost, locally available materials, making them accessible to smallholders in diverse contexts across the Global South. The manual covers everything from system design and management to adaptation to local conditions. It includes technical instructions for building a simplified hydroponic garden. Since no single solution is universally perfect, each context may uncover the most suitable technology to implement and improve upon, beginning with the systems detailed in this manual.

Publications

Moretti, Gaia ; Perotti, Fabio ; Rossini, Ernesto ; Piovano, Teresa ; Blasioli, Sonia ; Pennisi, Giuseppina ; Orsini, Francesco ; Michelon, Nicola ; Gianquinto Prosdocimi, Giorgio ; Cavallini, Michelangelo ; dal Monte, Ilaria ; Petraglia, Diletta Iris ; Rampazzo, Agnese ; Yu, Xiaoyue ; Gasparini, Lorella Marina

Evaluation of Cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) Growth in an Open Soilless System Using Different Substrates

The soil of the Trifinio region, the tri-national territory between Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador, is damaged by the expansion of monoculture, which decreases fertility and causes problems for local farmers. Furthermore, the region also faces issues of erosion and soil contamination. As an alternative to soil cultivation, soilless systems can be adopted, not requiring fertile soil, and significantly increasing yields and resource use efficiency. To encourage soilless technique application in the region, the aim of this study was to compare 18 different substrate mixes to identify the most suitable for the local cultivation of cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.). The substrates were obtained comparing three rates of peat and compost (0%, 20% and 40%, by volume) in factorial combination, with the remaining being either coir or pumice (filling component). Plant growth, flower setting, physiological status (relative chlorophyll content and leaf temperature), and plant production were evaluated. Highest yield was achieved with 20% peat, while compost (20% and 40%) was able to increase fruit length and improve the relative chlorophyll content, but did not affect total production. However, when focusing on environmental sustainability as an important standpoint, a peat-free substrate should be utilized even though the results favored the 20% peat treatment for production. Considering that the differences in production in favor of 20% peat treatment were of limited practical relevance. In regard to the filling components (coir and pumice) yields were unaffected and only minor parameters were changed. Based on the results obtained, a substrate consisting of 60% coir and 40% compost resulted in the best option for the soilless cultivation of cucumber in the Trifinio region, with both materials being sustainable and easily available for local farmers.

Publications

Leuratti, T., Michelon, N., Paredes, A., Santamaria, J., Zanin, G., Bona, S., Pennisi, G., Gianquinto, G., & Orsini, F.