Photo of participants atGA Nairobi in 2026
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General Assembly 4th General Assembly in Nairobi: Strengthening Research on Food Systems 

  • by TSARA

General Assembly was held in Nairobi from May 13 to 15, 2026, following the Africa Forward Summit. This fourth meeting brought together the initiativeGeneral Assembly partners around a common goal: to strengthen scientific cooperation between Africa and Europe in order to work together to bring about sustainable transformation of food and agricultural systems.

TSARA sets the course for the coming years

  • From a scientific perspective, two main areas stand out.The first integrates agroecology, water, soils, One Health, and digital technology: to support this, a new geospatial focus will be developed, reflecting a genuine commitment (remote sensing, GIS, participatory geomatics) to advancing the agroecological transition. The second focuses on the link between production, processing, local markets, frugal innovation, and nutrition and health: to support this, a new initiative dedicated to the processing of products—for both food and non-food purposes—is being launched.
  • Building partnerships with European counterparts remains a key objective. TSARA has just joined the IRC-FNSSA (International Research Consortium on Food, Nutrition Security, and Sustainable Agriculture) research group in Nairobi—a move that explicitly positions it within the African Union–European Union dialogue.
  • Field-based and participatory approaches, such as living labs, should be prioritized and supported: they must combine both local support for entrepreneurship and close dialogue with policymakers, all the way up to the international level. TSARA thus aims to exert greater influence at the science-policy interface, in line with the emphasis placed on research in the Nairobi Declaration issued by the Africa Forward Summit.
  • Young people are at the heart of TSARA, through doctoral contracts, mentoring, mobility programs, and networking opportunities for doctoral students. The 2025 summer school and the MAHDIA group internship are inspiring examples of this.

Mahsia Internship 2025

Six new members have joined

The TSARA initiative now includes 38 research and higher education institutions in 17 countries across Africa and Europe. At the4th GA, the admission of six new members was approved:

The co-presidency will be held by Abdou Tenkouano, Director General ofICIPE (International Centre for Insect Physiology and Ecology), and Philippe Mauguin, CEO ofINRAE.

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