Background/Initial Situation

The RUNRES project (Rural-Urban Nexus: Establishing a nutrient loop to improve city region food system RESilience) addresses the critical challenges of resource flow inefficiencies and waste management within city regions in Ethiopia, Rwanda, DR Congo, and South Africa. Existing research highlights the gap in sustainable, circular economy solutions that integrate rural and urban food systems. This project aims to bridge these gaps by developing and upscaling innovations that improve nutrient cycles between rural and urban areas.

Objective/Goal

The primary objective of RUNRES is to enhance the resilience and sustainability of rural-urban food systems through bio-circular innovations that function independently of external donors in the long term.

Methodology/Approach

The project has a transdisciplinary approach, engaging multiple stakeholders to identify, test, and upscale innovations in waste recycling and small-scale processing. The scaling strategies include working with established consortia, supporting replication within similar contexts, and indirect promotion of RUNRES methodologies beyond the project's direct influence.