Fruit for Peace Platform. An Agro-industrial Model in the Sahel for Fragile and Conflict States

Università degli Studi della Campania Luigi Vanvitelli – MCF Montecarlofruit – Centre d’Etude et Développement Industriel et Agricole du Mali
The project is situated within the context of Fragile and Conflict States and belongs to the agro-industrial sector. Over time, it has become a productive and social model that can be exported to other areas affected by fragility, abandonment, and conflict. The challenge emerged from optimizing natural mango production in the Sahel, Mali, and turning it into a competitive advantage through the development of cultivation, production, logistics, and social processes. The project has connected more than 4,300 local farmers, coordinated intercultural work teams, created employment opportunities, and promoted fair and inclusive living conditions, with particular attention to the role of women.
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Bioeconomy
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Ecodesign
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Low-impact Textiles
Artificial Intelligence
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Digital Product Passport
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Traceability
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Circular Business Models
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Life-Cycle Thinking
Fruit for Peace Platform operates as a system capable of generating cooperative structures by integrating Italian technological innovation, local knowledge, interdisciplinary research teams, and public and private funding. The project is based on at least five methodological focal points: system and relationship design, strategy design, upcycling, service and training design, and communication design. It connects public and private actors, both local and international, together with third-sector organizations and international cooperation networks, promoting the concept of a socio-productive infrastructure and cooperation model. The company follows upcycling criteria: materials and waste are reintegrated and reprocessed into new products, avoiding waste generation. The project is distinguished by the high quality of its production, certified according to the highest organic standards for baby food, and by its resilience. The model has survived three coups d’état, Ebola, banditry, and armed groups, reaching fifteen years of activity.  
Since 2023, the project has included NAMOS (New Agriculture Module of Sahel), a one-hectare demo farm integrated into the CEDIAM SA agro-industrial infrastructure. NAMOS is conceived as a scalable and exportable agricultural module and is integrated with the Demo Farm Hub, a permanent laboratory in which cultivation cycles and production models are continuously redefined. NAMOS currently includes integrated cultivation of mango, pineapple, and banana, together with ginger, watermelons, garlic, melons, chili peppers, and okra. Its objectives include reducing youth unemployment by involving 14 young people and women for each NAMOS module, increasing family income by 20%, improving access to technologies, and connecting local and international markets. The design choice is supported by measurement through simplified or partial indicators. Continuous training and research adapted to local conditions are central elements of the model. Research and development activities and management systems integrate local knowledge and human capital while considering climate change, political conflicts, and social conflicts.  

TEAM
Concept by Francesco Caponetti; Art Direction by Daniela Piscitelli; Design for Emergency Research Unit of the SIDE Sustainable Industrial Design research group at Università degli Studi della Campania Luigi Vanvitelli; Raffaello Spina, Advisor at Montecarlofruit.