Lab of Tomorrow

Sustainable nutrition system in Rwanda

The German Society for International Cooperation (GIZ) has developed the Lab of Tomorrow (LOT) on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for International Cooperation (BMZ). The Lab of Tomorrow is characterised by the early involvement of local people in the development of a new project as part of the development cooperation.

The Centre for Social Innovation at the University of St.Gallen (CSI-HSG) intends to adapt the Lab of Tomorrow for development cooperation in Switzerland. The Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) is funding the Lab of Tomorrow project in addition to the Hirschmann Foundation.

In terms of a pragmatic approach, the Lab of Tomorrow will be piloted in 2021 for the development project entitled 'Sustainable Food System in Rwanda'.

Concept

Collaborating closely with the local target group in project development is the innovative approach and the potential of the Lab of Tomorrow. Innovative new solutions for a sustainable food system will be developed in cooperation with local people and evaluated for their suitability.

The main tools of the Lab of Tomorrow are workshops in Rwanda and Switzerland and an online platform for sharing ideas and results and for a permanent dialogue between everyone involved. In its second phase, the platform is intended to link Swiss development cooperation institutions, individuals from civil society and business enterprises.

Pilot in Rwanda

The pilot in Rwanda aims to minimise the environmentally harmful interventions and the losses associated with the production of food, especially in terms of the contamination of water, of the soil and of waste. It also intends to target the wastage of food produce in a proactive way. The objective is to shift the food system in the direction of a circular economy.

Malnutrition, difficulty in accessing food, insufficient productivity and post-harvest losses are some of the biggest challenges in the current food system in East and Central Africa. The LOT pilot project entitled 'Sustainable Food System in Rwanda' will address these shortcomings at the level of village communities.