Platform for African – European Partnership in Agricultural Research for Development

Monday, August 3, 2026

World Social Forum Benin: Growing the Food Future


4–8 August 2026. As the World Social Forum (WSF) 2026 gathers in Cotonou, Benin, one message is becoming increasingly clear: the future of food will be shaped not only in laboratories or boardrooms, but also in the fields, villages, and communities where people cultivate the land and protect local knowledge.

The Forum brings together thousands of activists, farmers, researchers, youth leaders, Indigenous communities, policymakers, and civil society organizations from more than 150 countries. Together, they are exploring practical solutions to some of the world's most pressing challenges—from climate change and inequality to food insecurity and environmental degradation.



Why Food Matters


Food is more than nourishment. It is culture, identity, livelihoods, health, and resilience.

Across Africa and around the world, communities are facing growing pressures from climate change, land degradation, rising food prices, biodiversity loss, and unequal access to resources. Smallholder farmers, who produce much of the world's food, are often among those most affected.

The World Social Forum provides a platform to ask an essential question: How can we build food systems that nourish both people and the planet?

Growing the Food Future


The answer emerging from Benin is rooted in food sovereignty—the idea that communities should have the right to define their own food systems, protect their seeds, and manage natural resources sustainably.

Throughout the Forum, participants are sharing experiences in:
  • Agroecology and regenerative farming
  • Indigenous and local seed preservation
  • Climate-resilient agriculture
  • Youth leadership in farming
  • Women's empowerment in food production
  • Community-led land and water management
  • Local markets and fair food economies
These discussions are not simply theoretical. They showcase real-world solutions already transforming communities across Africa and beyond.

The West African Caravan


The West African Caravan is a grassroots mobilization that brings together farmers, youth, women, civil society organizations, and social movements from across West Africa to promote food sovereignty, climate justice, human rights, and sustainable development. 

Traveling across multiple countries before major regional or global gatherings such as the World Social Forum, the caravan creates opportunities for communities to share local solutions, celebrate cultural diversity, advocate for equitable public policies, and strengthen cross-border solidarity. 

By connecting people through dialogue, learning exchanges, and collective action, the West African Caravan amplifies the voices of communities working to build resilient food systems, protect natural resources, and advance a more just and inclusive future for the region.


From Discussion to Action


One of the Forum's greatest strengths is its ability to connect people across sectors and borders.
  • Farmers exchange ideas with scientists.
  • Young innovators meet experienced community leaders.
  • Civil society organizations collaborate with policymakers.
  • Together, they are creating partnerships that extend well beyond the Forum itself.
Growing the food future requires more than technological innovation. It demands policies that support smallholder farmers, investment in sustainable agriculture, protection of biodiversity, and food systems that are equitable, resilient, and locally driven.

Extracts of the sessions on Ecological crises, climate justice and just transition



5 Aug 2026 09:00 Building Peasant Internationalism: DEFENDING PEOPLES' SELF-DETERMINATION


5 Aug 2026 11:00 Discussion audiovisuelle et interactive : les outils d'intégration des savoirs climatiques endogènes dans la construction d'économies vertes africaines


5 Aug 2026 11:00 Femmes africaines face aux changements climatiques, la transition écologistes et l’extractivisme prédateur : alternatives, résiliences et autonomisation économique


5 Aug 2026 15:00 Discussion consultative du Cadre politique continental pour les Systèmes Semenciers Paysans - L'Alliance pour la Souveraineté Alimentaire (AFSA) a collaborer avec la commission de l'Union Africaine jusqu'à la production d'une politique spécifique

5 Aug 2026 15:00 Ending the Toxic Double Standards: Agroecology and Workers’ Rights for Food Sovereignty - This session builds on the documentary screening of Toxic Harvest and brings together panellists from West Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe, South Africa


6 Aug 2026 09:00 De l'engagement à l'action : Lancement Continental de la Caravane Africaine pour la Justice Climatique 2026




6 Aug 2026 09:00 De la protection animale à la préservation de la biodiversité, une vision intégrée au cœur des initiatives engagées et concrètes en faveur d'un développement durable



6 Aug 2026 09:00 PROCESSUS VERS UN TRIBUNAL POPULAIRE D’AFRIQUE DE L’OUEST SUR LES PESTICIDES

6 Aug 2026 11:00 Conference hommage à Réné SEGBENOU - René Segbenou spent over thirty years fighting on fronts few dared to occupy: peasant seeds, GMOs, biosecurity


6 Aug 2026 11:00 Dismantling Carbon Colonialism, Carbon Markets and False solutions


6 Aug 2026 11:00 Semences paysannes en Afrique de l'Ouest : résistances, droits et alternatives face aux pressions juridiques internationales
  • Co-organizers: The Food Bridge vzw, CFF Agroschooling Initiative, Ayonna , Global Forum on Agricultural Innovation and Research- GFAIR
  • This side event, organized by the Collective Action on Forgotten Foods (CAFF), places young people at the centre of the solution.   Through inspiring examples, dialogue and collective reflection, participants will explore practical pathways for empowering the next generation to conserve, add value to, commercialize and promote forgotten foods while creating decent jobs, strengthening local economies and advancing food sovereignty.
6 Aug 2026 15:00 L'agriculture écologique: comment produire de l'engrais bio et le charbon écologique à partir des déchets?


7 Aug 2026 11:00 La Gouvernance foncière et la souveraineté alimentaire: rôles des chefs coutumiers pour la cohésion sociale


7 Aug 2026 15:00 Swavalamban (Self-Reliance): Community Farming and Value-Added Agriculture for Climate Justice
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