As coordinator of the Horizon Europe project PrAEctiCe, Karlsruhe University of Applied Sciences (HKA) has co-developed a digital advisory tool that supports smallholder farmers in East Africa in switching to more sustainable farming methods. After three and a half years of research and field testing in Uganda, Tanzania and Kenya, the project results were presented at an international closing event in Entebbe, Uganda, on May 7, 2026. The tool is intended to contribute to food security in the region in the long term.

"Food is the foundation of humanity. The population in Africa is growing, as is urbanization, while at the same time the available arable land and agricultural productivity are declining," emphasized Dr. Yona Baguma, Director General of the Ugandan National Agricultural Research Organization (NARO), in his opening speech. This is precisely where PrAEctiCe comes in: The project developed agroecological approaches to sustainable water use, to strengthen climate resilience and to increase the productivity of smallholder farms in low-income regions.

HKA as coordinator of an international consortium

Coordinating an international EU Horizon project is not a matter of course, even for a university of applied sciences. HKA contributed its scientific expertise, particularly in the areas of sustainable resource use and system integration, and managed the consortium over the entire duration of the project. Around 170 people took part in the final event on site and online, including farmers, researchers, representatives of women's organizations, political decision-makers and international development partners.

In a panel discussion, Prof. Jan Hoinkis from HKA reported on experiences with the so-called "Living Labs": real farms in which circular systems for the use of water, energy and nutrients were tested in practice and communicated to farmers. "Farmers need cost-effective technologies to make integrated agricultural and aquaculture systems accessible and affordable," said Emmanuel Okalany, Technical Specialist for Development and Partnership at the Regional Universities Forum for Capacity Building in Agriculture (RUFORUM), summarizing the project's policy recommendations.

The digital advisory tool

The core of the project is a digital advisory tool for agroecological systems in smallholder farms. It was developed jointly by the University of Maribor with the partners Sustainable Agriculture Tanzania, Morogoro, Tanzania (SAT), the Department of Livestock and Fisheries, Kisumu, Kenya (DALF), National Agricultural Research Organization, Kampala, Uganda (NARO) and Regional Universities Forum for Capacity Building in Agriculture; Kampala, Uganda (RUFORUM). The tool provides smallholder farmers with scientifically sound guidance for more sustainable farming methods - tailored to the specific regional conditions in East Africa.

During the development process, existing research gaps became apparent: for integrated agricultural-aquaculture systems - i.e. the combination of animal and plant breeding with fish farming on the same farm - localized digital decision-making aids for East Africa were previously lacking. This gap could be closed by a specific advisory module within the tool.

International cooperation as the key

The final event was organized by project partner Apodissi in collaboration with NARO and took place at the Aquaculture Research and Development Centre in Kajjansi. In a panel discussion, Aruho Cassius (NARO), Janet Maro (Sustainable Agriculture Tanzania) and Susa Clare Adhiambo (Department of Livestock and Fisheries, Kisumu County) shared their experiences with training measures and living labs. The wide range of participants - from local women farmers to international development partners - illustrates the supra-regional scope of the project.

With PrAEctiCe, HKA underlines its commitment to applied research in the Global South and shows that a university of applied sciences can play a leading role in the international research landscape.

This YouTube video offers a compact insight into the project and its results: PrAEctiCe - Sustainable Agriculture in East Africa