The event was attended by representatives of smallholder food producers, civil society organizations, researchers, and policymakers to celebrate the power of agroecology to transform Africa’s food systems and demanded urgent action to support sustainable, equitable, and resilient food production.
Ms. Imke-Friederike Tiemann-Middleton who works with the Bread for the World (BftW) in German, said that “participants celebrated inspiring examples of agroecology in action, such as the successful development of an agroecology policy in Muranga County, Kenya”, She added that local governments, civil society, and farmers collaborated to create inclusive, people-centered policies.
The workshop was organised by BfdW following the call by African smallholder farmers organisations and civil Society from eastern, central, southern, western and northern Africa, who have been working in isolation on agrifood systems policies for years.
The event called for 7 concrete actions as follows:
- African governments must prioritize agroecology by developing and funding policies that support smallholder farmers, seed sovereignty, and sustainable food production.
- The continent to follow Senegal’s lead and allocate at least 50% of their agricultural budgets to agroecology.
- Support farmer-managed seed systems and reject corporate control of seeds.
- Place agroecology at the heart of school curricula, extension service and agricultural training programs to empower future generations with sustainable, resilient farming practices.
- Support participatory research that addresses the unique needs of smallholder farmers.
- Advocate for agroecological solutions to climate change to enhance resilience and protect against false solutions like carbon trading.
- Celebrate and preserve indigenous agroecological knowledge and practices.
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