sustainability Article Circular Bioeconomy Research for Development in Sub-Saharan Africa: Innovations, Gaps, and Actions Shiferaw Feleke 1,* , Steven Michael Cole 1,* , Haruna Sekabira 2 , Rousseau Djouaka 3 and Victor Manyong 1 1 Social Science and Agribusiness, International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), Dar es Salaam 34441, Tanzania;
[email protected] 2 Natural Resource Management, International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), Kigali 1269, Rwanda;
[email protected] 3 Plant Production and Plant Health, International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), Cotonou 0932, Benin;
[email protected] * Correspondence:
[email protected] (S.F.);
[email protected] (S.M.C.); Tel.: +255-222700092 (S.F.) Abstract: The International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) has applied the concept of ‘circular bioeconomy’ to design solutions to address the degradation of natural resources, nutrient-depleted farming systems, hunger, and poverty in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Over the past decade, IITA has implemented ten circular bioeconomy focused research for development (R4D) interventions in several countries in the region. This article aims to assess the contributions of IITA’s circular bioeconomy focused innovations towards economic, social, and environmental outcomes using the outcome tracking approach, and identify areas for strengthening existing circular bioeconomy R4D interventions using the gap analysis method. Data used for the study came from secondary sources available in the public domain. Results indicate that IITA’s circular bioeconomy interventions led to ten technological innovations (bio-products) that translated into five economic, social, and Citation: Feleke, S.; Cole, S.M.; environmental outcomes, including crop productivity, food security, resource use efficiency, job Sekabira, H.; Djouaka, R.; Manyong, V.