ABOUT US
The African Crops Alliance (ACA) is a global coalition of partners working to strengthen sustainable food systems across the African continent. It promotes underutilized and forgotten crops as tangible levers to improve food security and fight hunger. Bringing together smallholder farmers, chefs, public and private sectors, as well as research institutions, funders, and philanthropies, the ACA breaks down silos to build a shared vision and a holistic approach to developing and
scaling African indigenous crops.
The Alliance supports, designs, and promotes new value chains across the continent, with an initial focus on three flagship crops: fonio, baobab, and bambara groundnut.
OUR AMBITION
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Reconnect Africa with its food heritage by encouraging dietary diversification.
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Stimulate local economic growth through the development of sustainable value chains.
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Reduce dependency on staple imports and strengthen resilience to climate change.
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Mobilize investment and policy support for indigenous crops and agrobiodiversity.
WHY ACT NOW ?
Despite their nutritional richness, ecological resilience, and deep cultural roots, forgotten crops occupy only a marginal place in today’s global food systems. Yet they hold tremendous potential to induce progress across multiple fronts :
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Driving climate adaptation.
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Improving nutrition.
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Boosting local economies.
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Strengthening food sovereignty.
STRATEGIC PRIORITIES
SHINING A LIGHT ON AFRICA’S HIDDEN FOOD GEMS
The Alliance will initially focus its efforts on three flagship crops, each offering unique nutritional, environmental, and economic benefits :
Fonio : A heritage grain of the future, fonio combines nutritional benefits, climate resilience, and local economic opportunities. It is a strategic lever for building sustainable and sovereign food systems.
Baobab : The iconic “tree of life” with countless uses. Its fruit is a vitamin C-rich superfood, while its oil is valued for antioxidant and moisturizing properties.
Bambara Groundnut : A hardy legume adapted to poor soils. Rich in plant-based proteins, it enriches soils naturally and supports food security for rural families.
JOIN US !
The Alliance invites producers, scientists, donors, NGOs, chefs, and
businesses to :
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Become part of a collective movement for transformative change.
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Co-invest in high-impact, strategic food value chains.
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Support research, social innovation, and policy engagement.
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Champion integrated, multisectoral and locally-driven food systems
“This Alliance exists for African products—to serve and uplift Africa. We must
safeguard our value and retain and grow value within Africa. It’s time to invest in our crops, empower our producers, and lead innovation through African research.” — Pierre Thiam, Chef, activist, Vice-President of SOS SAHEL USA and founding member of ACA
“We must move beyond short-term projects, pool our efforts and invest in
what Africa does best: producing, processing, and consuming its own
resources.” — Dr. Michel Edmond Ghanem, Researcher and founding
member of ACA
“As long as we import raw materials, we import dependency. To break this
cycle, we must invest in local research and agro-processing.” — Laura
Layousse, CEO of CAA and founding member of ACA
The ACA secretariat is hosted by
SOS SAHEL.
Dakar - Zone 15 Almadies, Senegal
Contact: aca@sossahel.org