Measuring advances in regenerative agriculture in agri-food supply chains

The lack of clear and unified global definitions for regenerative agriculture remains a significant challenge. While regulatory efforts are underway in the US and Europe to define regenerative agriculture, there is ongoing debate around its relationship with organic agriculture. 

The SAI framework provides a common starting point.

Farmer adoption, mindset and education

The transition to regenerative agricultural practices can be challenging for farmers, often involving short-term yield reductions that need careful management. Key strategies to support farmers during this transition include the following.

• Providing financial incentives or access to credit can help farmers manage the initial costs and yield drops associated with adopting regenerative practices.
• Developing insurance options to cover potential yield losses in the early years can provide a safety net for farmers, encouraging them to make the transition.
• Leveraging government initiatives, such as climate-smart agriculture programmes, can offer essential funding and resources to support farmers.
• Encouraging collaboration across the supply chain can distribute the costs and risks of transition. Industry players can work together to support farmers financially and logistically.
• Transitioning can be particularly challenging for smallholder farmers, for whom yield losses would be catastrophic. It is crucial to develop equitable support mechanisms that ensure fairness and inclusion, providing targeted assistance to these farmers.

Engaging farmers effectively requires a focus on practical, tangible benefits and actionable practices rather than inundating them with broader global climate change discussions. Educational efforts should have a number of characteristics.  

• Resonate with farmers' business mindset: It is important to present regenerative agricultural practices in a way that aligns with farmers' business goals, demonstrating tangible benefits and practical applications.
• Include context-specific education: Education should be tailored to the local context, addressing specific practices and impacts relevant to the farmers' region. This approach ensures that the information is relevant and immediately applicable.

 

Equity and scalability

• Ensuring equitable access to regenerative agriculture programmes and incentives across different farm sizes, cooperatives and regions was identified as a challenge.
• Scaling regenerative agriculture practices quickly while maintaining equity and transparency isa concern, particularly for larger cooperatives with diverse customer bases.

Consumer perception and pricing

• Improving consumer awareness and knowledge about regenerative agriculture practices and their benefits was deemed crucial. There is a well-recognised “say-do” gap between consumer interest in sustainability and their actual purchasing behaviour. This is complicated by the proliferation of sustainability claims and labels on products. Educating consumers on the true benefits and value of regenerative agriculture, including the environmental and social costs that are not currently reflected in pricing, is important.
• Concerns were raised about potential price premiums for regenerative agriculture products and whether consumers would be willing to pay more. Some participants reasoned that the price difference should be minimal, making it more acceptable to consumers, while others cited examples of significant premiums for organic products.
• The impact of external factors, such as inflation and economic crises, on consumer willingness to pay for sustainable products was also discussed as a potential barrier.
• Integrating regenerative agriculture claims into the overall brand and value proposition, beyond just on-pack messaging, is key. 
• Collaborating with retailers to tell the story of regenerative agriculture more effectively in-store is also crucial. Collaboration between industry, retailers and consumers is needed to shift mindsets and establish regenerative agriculture as the new normal, rather than a premium or niche offering.

 

Aligning priorities - carbon, biodiversity and beyond

• Concern was raised about over-emphasising carbon metrics and carbon market mechanisms  at the expense of other important impacts such as on water, soil and biodiversity. This narrow focus could lead to farming systems focused on carbon but disconnected from other critical environmental and social factors.
• The arable farming sector may find it easier to balance these various priorities compared to livestock/dairy sectors, as the linkages between practices and outcomes are more direct.
• A more holistic, systems-level approach is needed to define future farming systems and ensure alignment across the different impact areas. 

APAARI Community of Practice Biopesticides

29 January 2025. Asia-Pacific Biopesticides Community of Practice (ABCOP) - For the Promotion of Biopesticides and Enhancement of Trade Opportunities

Biopesticides, with their low or negligible chemical residues, enable farmers to meet MRL requirements, access global markets, and contribute to food security.

• Dr. Ravi Khetarpal Executive Director Asia-Pacific Association of Agricultural Research Institutions Thailand - Highlights from ABCoP 2024 Setting the Stage for 2025

• Dr. S N Sushil Director ICAR - National Bureau of Agricultural Insect resources India - Potential of Biopesticides to Replace Chemical Pesticides Gradually: A Myth or a Reality?

Resource:

Darshika Senadheera, Ravi Khetarpal (2025) Highlights from ABCoP 2024 Setting the Stage for 2025 18 pp.

APAARI launched the Asia-Pacific Biopesticide Community of Practice (ABCoP) in May 2024, with the support of FAO, STDF, government agencies, private sector and international organizations such as AARINENA and FARA, to bring together stakeholders from the biopesticide sector, including industry leaders, researchers, policymakers, national representatives and other key actors.

The biopesticides industry's future is promising, with over 300 global companies developing products for pests, diseases, weeds, and nematodes. While bioinsecticides lead the market, bionematicides are gaining momentum. Growing interest from investors, manufacturers, and consumers signals strong

growth potential, driving innovation and expansion in coming years.

The ABCoP program highlights the transformative potential of biopesticides in agriculture while emphasizing the importance of continued collaboration, innovation, regulatory reform, and education. These efforts are essential to fully realizing the potential of biopesticides in ensuring sustainable food production and trade in the region

Related blog posts:

31 October 2024. Asia-Pacific Biopesticides Community of Practice.

27 November 2024. 7th Asia-Pacific Biopesticides Community of Practice event

Agroecology, Nutrition and Health

29 January 2025. Agroecology, Nutrition and Health Unleashing the potential of agroecology to ensure healthy and nutritious diets

Current food systems face major environmental, climate and health challenges, while responding to food security and nutrition challenges. In this context, countries have negotiated and adopted for the first Global Action Plan on Biodiversity and Health at the Convention on Biological Diversity’s COP16 in Cali last October 2024. In a literature review, a majority of studies (78%) found evidence of positive outcomes in the use of agroecological practices on food security and nutrition of households in low and middle-income countries. 

Indeed, Agroecology Principles and Elements constitute a holistic approach with multiple co-benefits on biodiversity, climate adaptation and mitigation, and soil health, while providing nutritious food for all.  For this Webinar Series #4, the Agroecology Coalition is hosting a conversation on the role of agroecology in ensuring nutrition and healthy diets, while producing food in a sustainable manner, and what available evidence do we have on this topic. 

Moderator: Stacia Nordin, Registered Dietitian, Founder and Director, Never Ending Food Permaculture Malawi

• 

  Rachel Bezner Kerr

  Professor of Global Development, Cornell University

• 

  Patrizia Fracassi

  Senior Nutrition and Food Systems Officer, Food and Nutrition Division, FAO

• 

  Raiza Rezende

  Co-Founder, Regenerative Healthcare European Association (RHEA)

• 

  Dominique Barjolle Musard

  Senior Researcher, ETH Zurich / University of Lausanne

Shared resources: 

Kesso Gabrielle van Zutphen and co (2022) Nutrition as a driver and outcome of agroecology

The principles of agroecology do not explicitly state a link with nutrition. Yet, we argue that among them, input reduction, biodiversity, economic diversification, social values and diets, fairness, connectivity and participation are directly linked to nutrition. Nutrition can serve as a critical outcome and driver of agroecological practices and can drive transformative change across the food system.

Global Alliance for the Future of Food, Biovision Foundation, WWF International, Alliance of Bioversity International and the International Center for Tropical Agriculture, and the Agroecology Coalition. 2024 Boosting Biodiversity Through Agroecology: Guidance for Developing and Updating National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans. n.p.: Global Alliance for the Future of Food. 76 pp.

Willets and co. (2024) Implementing the Global Action Plan on Biodiversity and Health

Food Forward NDCs 
Food Forward NDCs is a guidance tool to support the enhancement and implementation of NDC ambitions for agriculture and food systems transformation. It will help countries to strengthen their NDCs by providing easy and accessible content to identify policy measures and practices and information about their climate change mitigation, adaptation and sustainable development benefits.

Cultivating Agroecology Transformations

 

23 January 2025. Cultivating Agroecology Transformations

How to transform to agroecology with ease and effect? How to spark ambitious action, motivate a range of actors and deal with challenges and obstacles?

GIZ’s Agroecology Leadership Academy was a comprehensive learning and developing programme for 38 participants from different countries across Africa and India, implemented from January to November 2024. It aimed at empowering leaders to catalyzing sustainable development, to navigate complexity and to be powerful transformation agents for agroecology.

As part of the academy, seven country teams were supported to put transformation initiatives into actions. Within a few months, the participants for instance catalyzed effective action by bringing unusual stakeholders together, developing innovative media products and spreading hands-on knowledge. The transformation initiatives and learning acquired will be presented in this exciting webinar.

The Agroecology Leadership Academy had 

38 participants from 7 countries:

• Benin, 

• Burkina Faso, 

• Ethiopia, 

• Kenya, 

• India, 

• Madagascar and 

• Tunisia

Part 1 (English)

• The Agroecology leadership Academy
• Zooming into the transformation initiative India
• Zooming into the transformation initiative Kenya
• Zooming into the transformation initiative Ethiopia
• Exchange

Part 2 (French)

Background:

The Agroecology Leadership Academy was implemented by Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development and conducted with financial support from the European Union (EU) as part of the EU co-funded programme “ProSilience: Enhancing soils and agroecology for resilient agri-food systems in Sub-Sahara Africa”.

The Agroecology Leadership Academy had 38 participants from 7 countries: Benin, Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Kenya, India, Madagascar and Tunisia.

See also: Knowledge Centre for Organic Agriculture and Agroecology in Africa (KCOA)

KCOA is a collaborative country-led partnership that aims to scale up the adoption of organic and agroecological farming practices through a network of five Knowledge Hubs in Africa. Within KCOA, the implementing organisations

Related:

The Alliance for Food Sovereignty in Africa (AFSA) commissioned an external evaluation of its Bread for the World-funded ‘Healthy Soil Healthy Food’ (HSHF) project. The four-and-a-half-year project runs from January 2021 to June 2025 and involves HSHF centres operated by AFSA’s local project partners in six countries: Senegal, Togo, Burkina Faso, Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania. Key activities are promoting uptake of agroecological practices through farmer training and policy advocacy, aiming to improve soil health, food security and food sovereignty. QUESTION: Have you been involved in this project?

The Indo-German Global Academy for Agroecology Research and Learning in Pulivendula, Kadapa (Andhra Pradesh state, India) was launched in July 2023. It hosts India’s First Farmer Scientist Course in Natural Farming: Rythu Sadhikara Samstha: a four-year Farmer Scientist Course (FSC) in Natural Farming.

Inclusive Digital Tools Project: Scaling climate-informed agroecological outcomes

19 December 2024. Inclusive Digital Tools Project: Scaling climate-informed agroecological outcomes

YPARD and The Inclusive Digital Tools Project hosted a webinar on advancing digital inclusion in agroecology. The event explored findings from the ATDT project, showcasing practical examples of co-creating agroecological knowledge and its role in empowering farmers, enhancing digital agency, and driving impact. 

The session also featured young professionals’ experiences with knowledge co-creation, discussing challenges, successes, and opportunities for inclusion through digital technologies in agroecology. This webinar aims to provide insights into building inclusive, digitally-enabled agroecological systems.

• Speaker: Mariette McCampbell

Resources:

Dittmer, K.M.; Burns, S.; Shelton, S.; Wollenberg, E. (2022) Principles for socially inclusive digital tools for smallholder farmers: A guide. Agroecological Transitions programme: Inclusive Digital Tools to Enable Climate-informed Agroecological Transitions (ATDT). Cali (Colombia): Bioversity International and the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT). 18 p.

The digital ecosystem and its actors have increasing influence over how food is produced, what food people buy, and the flow of information among farmers, supply chain actors, and consumers. Efforts to transform food systems towards sustainability, including climate change resilience and mitigation, similarly rely on digital resources and offer the opportunity to scale up best practices rapidly at low cost. Yet the top-down and often public good or corporate-driven nature of digital tools can be at odds with the ethos of farmers’ self-determination and empowerment, especially for smallholder farmers in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). This guide seeks to address concerns with the current digitalization of food systems with a set of principles to instruct development and implementation of socially inclusive digital tools with smallholder farmers.

Van Mele, P., Mohapatra, S., Tabet, L. and Flao, B. 2024. Young changemakers: Scaling agroecology using video in Africa and India. Access Agriculture, Brussels, 175 pp.
Access Agriculture has done well this digital through the distribution of portable projectors to ERA members in Uganda and the videos shown are in different local languages and short in duration making them brief to may be avoiding overloading farmers

Mucemi Gakuru, Kristen Winters, Kristen Winters (2008) Innovative farmer advisory services using ICT

This inventory reveals that many projects are of a pilot nature, implemented by international organizations, have been of short duration and often have not remained after the original donor funding has ceased.

Upcoming

SAVE THE DATE! 23.01.25 • Cultivating Agroecology Transformations • A webinar by GIZ and the Agroecology TPP. Transformation initiatives from Kenya, India and Ethiopia will be presented. https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSffc2Zui8j9tJkQKbA1mCxjbF6hM-rg1mRbZEfNB_rqhNryXA/viewform

Economic performance and climate change mitigation potential of agroecology

12th of December 2024. Agroecology webinar with Maria Luisa PARACCHINI, European Commission, Joint Research Centre, Directorate D - Sustainable Resources and with Felix REMBOLD, Carlo REGA and Caroline CALLENIUS. 

• Report of the meeting can be downloaded here
• Shared resource by a participant: Joint environmental and social benefits from diversified agriculture
• 439 persons registered and 125 persons attended online

The Joint Research centre’s core mission is to provide scientific evidence to European policymakers. And this includes agroecology. JRC is not engaged in primary research about agroecology. In the last three years, together with other research centres such as CIRAD but also several European universities, JRC has started several systematic scientific reviews of scientific literature and also meta-analysis.

Maria Luisa PARACCHINI presented findings from systematic reviews on the impact of agroecology on food security, on socioeconomic performance, and food system sustainability, highlight ongoing review on climate change mitigation and adaptation. She  pointed to open research questions and emphasize the need for more quantitative data. 

The session highlighted the importance of agroecology in EU Development Cooperation and presented findings from studies demonstrating positive socioeconomic outcomes associated with agroecological practices compared to conventional systems. Discussions identified significant knowledge gaps, particularly concerning social capital and resilience, and emphasized the need for long-term monitoring and context-focused research. The impact of agroecology on greenhouse gas emissions and carbon sequestration was explored, alongside a Q&A session that addressed biases in existing studies and the connections between agroecology, nutrition, and health. The webinar concluded with a summary of discussions and a call for ongoing collaboration and future research directions in the field. Action items included compiling identified knowledge gaps for further exploration.

JRC Studies

1. Contribution of Agroecology to Food Security

The JRC has collaborated with CIRAD (Montpellier, FR), ISARA (Lyon, FR), and independent experts to synthesize available scientific information on social, economic, and environmental benefits of implementing agroecological practices in 26 developing countries: The main conclusions include:

• A positive contribution of agroecology to food security is reported in at least 50% of the analysed literature: improved yields, availability of more nutritious food, diversified diet, higher resilience to climate shocks, higher income. Information is mostly qualitative rather than quantitative;
• Information on agroecology at country level is limited and scattered. Most studies describe agroecological farming practices and very few analyse the economic and social aspects
• Improvement of soil fertility is a major need across the regions, and this directly links to the management of nutrients and organic matter;

This research work is organised in 2 volumes:

1. Volume 1: Benin, Burkina Faso, Cuba, Ethiopia, Ghana, Guatemala, Kenya, Lao PDR, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Nicaragua, Niger, Senegal, Tanzania, Togo, Zimbabwe.
2. Volume 2: Bolivia, Burundi, Cameroon, Colombia, Ivory Coast, Nigeria, Pakistan, The Gambia, Uganda.

To complement this scientific literature review, 10 case studies have been carried out in 10 African countries to analyse the impacts of the adoption of agroecological practices at grassroots level. The cross-analysis of these case studies reveals two major outcomes: the increase of smallholder farmers’ incomes and improved resilience to climate change.

The first reviews were specific to developing countries. 19 out of 26 are in Africa. It was an opportunity to characterize what agroecological practices are being implemented. There is a clear positive impact of agricultural practices on food security. It's not only through yield and production, but it's also very clearly in terms of increased availability of nutritious food and dietary diversity (the link 

between food security and health).

2. Contribution of Agroecology to Sustainable Food Systems

The broader contribution of agroecology to sustainable food systems is explored in this study. The analysis highlights linkages and potential win-win contribution of agroecology in several food system sustainability dimensions, but empirical studies are still limited.

There is less literature on the agroecology- food nexus available. JRC 

compared the principles of agroecology with the food systems framework and food systems sustainability dimensions. Most evidence is there on the agro-biodiversity- food security/nutrition nexus. Increased biodiversity has a positive impact on food systems resilience 

3. The Socio-economic Performance of Agroecology

This research demonstrates that agroecological practices at the farm level positively impact socio-economic factors, such as increased incomes, higher revenues, enhanced productivity, and improved efficiency.

In 80 peer reviewed papers scientific JRC found clear positive association with farmers income, with revenue and also with efficiency and productivity. But, agroecology is also labor intensive and can increase costs. It is always a question of trade offs and cost benefit. It is important to look very specifically at local context to understand whether the overall effect on income prevails on the increase of costs or on pressure, for example on gender inequality that can be linked to the increase of labor need. 

4. Can Agroecology Support Sustainable Development in Africa?

The article is coming forth soon in the Journal Agronomy for Sustainable Development.

The study shows that agroecological practices can provide positive social, economic and environmental outcomes across all agro-climatic zones in African countries with high food insecurity. One-third of articles reported benefits to food security, incomes and economic growth, and the environment. 96% of the publications report positive impacts on economic outcomes, in particular on agricultural income or production costs.

5. Agroecologcial Practices for Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation

Study coming forth soon.

Climate change mitigation. JRC is currently close to finalizing a review of 16,000 scientific papers about the potential of agroecology in terms of climate change mitigation and adaptation. There is strong evidence that agroecology has a potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in particular CO2 and N2O thanks to the reduced carbon intensive inputs and thanks to the use of less fossil-based fertilizers. From the 16,000 papers 300 papers have full text contributions and some have quantitative data. There is scientific evidence about the fact that the agricultural practices can clearly and strongly increase the carbon stocks in the soil through the various practices from mulching to practices that increase organic material in the soil and agroforestry which clearly contributes to Carbon Sequestration. Rice producing 

systems are contributing very strongly to methane. Methane can be reduced by different agroecological practices. The same applies also to livestock. 

Climate change adaptation. There is a strong body of evidence that some aspects or some practices in 

agroecology and in particular diversification at the farm level have a strong potential to contribute to climate change adaptation. Increased biodiversity can support resistance to drought or drought tolerance. 

Case Studies

1. Cameroon – Agroforestry - Cooperative learning and participatory tree selection and propagation. "Due to farmers’ cultural affinity for agroforestry practices, agroforestry has become the most popular method that farmers use to alleviate the effects of land degradation, climate change, and hunger in rural areas."
2. Ethiopia – Silvopasture - Spreading silvopastural system through farmer exchanges. "Goats feed on Ficus thonningii leaves harvested from silvopastoral systems; Its drought tolerance has reduced the water requirements for livestock fodder production by 85%, a critical improvement in such an arid climate."
3. Kenya – Push-pull technology - Farmer-to-farmer exchanges and field schools to spread push-pull throughout Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania. Scientists, together with thousands of Kenyan smallholder farmers, experimented with different approaches to perfect a new low-cost technique of agroecological pest management: push-pull.
4. Madagascar - Crop diversification (varietal mixtures), crop fertilization (improved manure) -Participatory evaluation of rainfed rice varieties and improved manure. The introduction of locally-adapted rice varieties lowered production costs and the risks of crop failure due to climate or disease. As a result, rice production has become more accessible to farmers of varying altitude and socio-economic positions.
5. Malawi - Crop diversification, organic fertilization, legume intercropping, plant-based pesticides. Participatory approach to spread agroecological practices. A participatory approach helped to revalue and share existing agricultural knowledge in farming communities, while encouraging farmer experimentation facilitates the adaption of practices to future social and environmental conditions.
6. Niger - Improved fertilization (wood ash and manure), seed balls, crop diversification, legume intercropping, tree planting, crop-tree-livestock. - Supporting agroecological innovation through participatory research and knowledge and seed dissemination. Gender inequity is addressed through equal representation in membership (women make up 52% of FUMA Gaskiya), and targeted participation in research programmes and experimentation. Women notably played an essential role in selecting a millet variety with high potential for pest and drought resistance.
7. Nigeria - Crop rotation, mulching and composting, tree-crop integration, crop diversification - Revitalizing farmer livelihoods through agroecological management of farms and forests. Reforestation efforts with indigenous species improved the local availability of forest products while agroecological farming approaches, applied in combination with improved seed varieties and drip irrigation technology, successfully increased incomes from vegetable production.
8. Tanzania - Legume intercropping, livestock and fish farming integration, beekeeping, tree planting, contour ridges and bunds - A village territory approach based on a large number of principles of agroecology. The project also trained farmers in fish production, further increasing farm-level diversity. Beekeeping and tree planting enhanced biodiversity at the landscape level, increasing both pollinating services and habitat for wild flora and fauna
9. Uganda – Coffee-Banana Intercropping - A traditional approach to diversified farming. After integrating bananas into coffee fields, women were more motivated to work in the fields, as bananas can be used for household consumption.
10. Zimbabwe - Improved crop rotations, companion planting, intercropping, cover crops and composting, integrated pest management, livestock integration - The process of building agroecological markets to support farmer livelihoods. More farmers sought and received training on agroecological practices and marketing, and formed associations to produce organic horticultural products, certified through the Participatory Guarantee Scheme.

Challenges 

1. One of the challenges with the scientific reviews was to consider practices which are not named as Agroecology. Another challenge throughout all these reviews is that many research papers work on single practices. So the complexity and the systemic aspects are very difficult to evaluate. 
2. Policymakers need not only conclusions about the potential and whether the associated impact of agricultural practices is positive or neutral or negative. They need also more quantitative data. JRC started working on and as well as other research centres. 
3. There is a need for more modelling to also provide quantitative information, possibly in local contexts and not just globally. 
4. A lot of research is focused on the farm and on production aspects and not on the other parts of the food system. There is clearly a research gap. The identification of research gaps is the second benefit of the literature review, after identifying the main comparative advantages of agroecology with conventional agriculture. This is also something JRC is discussing with the colleagues of RUFORUM, FARA and others: to identify the research gaps so that new initiatives can focus on those gaps. 

Productivity effects of agroecological practices in Africa: insights from a systematic review and meta-analysis

 

Miriam E. Romero Antonio, Amy Faye, Bibiana Betancur-Corredor, Heike Baumüller & Joachim von Braun have published a first comprehensive analysis on "Productivity effects of agroecological practices in Africa: insights from a systematic review and meta-analysis".

Scholars have proposed agroecology as a promising method for promoting sustainable and socially just agricultural production systems. However, the extent to which agroecological practices will generate the yields required to ensure sufficient food globally remains unclear. This notion is particularly true in the context of Africa, where agricultural productivity is low but levels of hunger and malnutrition are high. To address this knowledge gap, this article undertakes a systematic review of empirical studies to assess the overall status of agroecology-related research in Africa. Using descriptive and meta-analytical methods, we evaluate empirical evidence on the effect of agroecological practices on land and labour productivity.

The meta-analysis indicates that agroecological practices are associated with a positive and significant difference in land productivity, compared to that for monocrop systems especially so when monocrops are grown without inputs. However, the size and direction of yield differs by practice, crop, climatic factor, soil property and type of control.

Read the full article HERE

Tropical Summit & South-South-North triangular cooperation - Portugal

4–8 November 2024. Lisbon, TROPICAL SUMMIT - Foreseeing Answers to Global Challenges
Tropical Summit: A unique multi-actor forum to achieve the 2030 Agenda through triangular cooperation.

• 5 - 6 November 2024. 16.30 - 18.00 CET. FARA side event Catalyzing agro-ecological transitions in the tropics in the context of climate change

The main objectives of Tropical Summit are to promote the transfer of knowledge, stimulate multidisciplinary collaboration and the involvement of stakeholders, and contribute to the co-creation and innovative projects, capitalizing and densifying existing initiatives and collaboration platforms for the rapid implementation of tangible and robust solutions. The focus will be on South-South-North triangular cooperation and 4 thematic areas:

1. ‍PLANETARY HEALTH: Nurturing life within the global boundaries
2. AGRICULTURAL DEVELOPMENT: Sustainability as a path to socioeconomic progress
3. TERRITORIAL AND SOCIAL TRANSITIONS: Building resilient spaces and societies in every dimension
4. HUMAN GROWTH: Empowerment and technology for the times ahead

Extracts of the programme

5/11 High-level Session

• Carmen Neto - Minister of Fisheries and Marine Resources
• Florbela Paraíba - President of Camões I.P
• Jeffrey Sachs - President of the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network
• Maria da Graça Carvalho - Minister of the Environment and Energy
• Ravi Khetarpal - Executive Secretary of Asia Pacific Association of Agricultural Research Institutions (APAARI)
• Ubiraci Pataxó - Master of Knowledge and President of the Korihé Institute

5/11 Catalyzing agro-ecological transitions in the tropics in the context of climate change

Parallel Session - Roundtable
‍Organised by : FARA / CORAF / CCARDESA / RUFORUM / JRC-ISPRA / AE-TPP (CIROF - ICRAF) / IFAD

This panel session discussed the critical role of agroecology in addressing food system challenges in Africa, particularly under the looming impacts of climate change. Opening remarks by Dr. Aggrey Agumya focused on the need for a robust ten-year agricultural strategy from FARA that acknowledges the benefits of agroecology, a point furthered by Dr. Guy Faure’s insights on EU support and the importance of innovation and market access for agroecological systems. Dr. Marc Corbeels highlighted the detrimental effects of climate change, indicating changes in temperature and rainfall that could reduce crop yields. Discussions led by Prof. Rachel Wynberg outlined fundamental principles and necessary transformative approaches to agroecology. The session identified key action items for scientists, researchers, policymakers, and research institutions to bolster evidence, innovation, market access, and research capacity, while also addressing the challenges of urbanization and waste management in agroecological practices. Overall, the meeting underscored the urgency of catalyzing agroecological practices as a resilient response to climate change and food security challenges in Africa.

• Aggrey Agumya, FARA
  

FARA is developing 10-year agricultural strategy for Africa. No mention of agroecology in the strategy despite efforts. Lack of evidence cited as reason for not featuring agroecology prominently. Call for scientists to provide more concrete evidence on agroecology benefits.

• Guy Faure, EC-INTPA

He emphasized need for innovation in agroecology to boost production, Highlighted importance of better market access for agroecological farming systems, EU is funding regional multi-actor research networks to strengthen research capacity

• Marc Corbeels, CIRAD
  
  He presented the CANALLS project. This research project aims to drive agroecological transitions in the humid tropics of Central and Eastern Africa via multi-actor transdisciplinary Agroecology Living Labs (ALLs) and providing holistic agroecological solutions that meet the challenges of the local food systems. The ALLs are based in 
  
  
1. DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO: Bunia in DRC (Lowlands/ cocoa) + Biega in DRC (Highlands/ coffee) + Kabare (Highlands/ coffee) + Uvira (Lowlands/ cassava, rice)
2. CAMEROON: Ntui (Lowlands/ cocoa) 
3. BURUNDI Giheta (Highlands/ coffee) + Bujumbura (Lowlands/ maize)
4. RWANDA Kamonyi (Highlands/ cassava)
   
   
• 
  Rachel Wynberg, University of Cape Town
  
  She presented the RAENS research project: Research for Agroecology Network Southern Africa
  
  She referred to the book
  
  Rachel Wynberg (2024) African Perspectives on Agroecology Why farmer-led seed and knowledge systems matter # 398 pp.
  
  
  
  This book offers a contribution that is enriched by the collaborative, creative, and critical voices of African farmers, activists, scientists, scholars, and policymakers. Their viewpoints combine in this volume to articulate a shared and dynamic vision of a world where agriculture is productive, diverse, and sustainable; where different ways of seeing and knowing are respected; and where seed and food systems are in the hands of farmers and local communities.
  
  
• Baitsi Podisi, CCARDESA
  
  

06/11 Agricultural Development

• Keynote - Sammy Aggrey Professor in Genetics and Genomics at the University of Georgia, Athens
• Bongiwe Njobe - Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA)
• Karen Montiel - Technical specialist, Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture
• Ravi Khetarpal - Chair of the Global Forum on Agriculture Research and Innovation (APAARI)
• Sylvain Perret - Director of Agrinatura
• Moderator: Oseyemi Akinbamijo Former Executive Director of FARA

06/11 Building Climate-Resilient Agri-Food Systems: Case Studies and Indicators

Parallel Session – Project Showcase

• Transformative Agri-Food Supply Chains for Climate Resilience – Which indicators are suitable to measure resilience and social transformation? - Christine Altenbuchner, BOKU University
• Agroecological Solutions for Resilient Farming in West Africa - The Cape Verde Case Study - Miguel Ribeiro, ADPM - Associação de Defesa do Património de Mértola
• Variability and Trends in the Beginning and End of the Rainy Season in West Africa. The Guinea-Bissau case study - Orlando Mendes, National Meteorological Institute; Institute of Geography and Spatial Planning
• Sustainable Aquaponics for Food Security in SIDS: A Case Study of São Tomé and Príncipe - Britta Kautzman, School of Agriculture; Lisbon School of Economics & Management
• INNOECOFOOD - Eco-innovative technologies for improved nutrition, sustainable production and marketing of agroecological food products in Africa - Ana Faria, CIIMAR – Interdisciplinary Centre of Marine and Environmental Research
  
  INNOECOFOOD aims to establish innovative production/ business ECOHUBS and improve local aquaculture farms using AI and IoT in six African countries. To support EU-AU markets and trade, INNOECOFOOD will train rural farmers, youth and women to innovatively produce and process nutritious aquaculture catfish and tilapia, blue-green cyanobacteria spirulina, and insect value chains that will be processed into certified marketable human food products and feed. 
  
  The project aims to establish ECOHUB farms in six African countries, Kenya, Uganda, Ghana, Namibia, Tanzania and Egypt, where sustainable cultured fish, Spirulina (a green-blue algae) and insects will be produced using innovative artificial intelligence technologies and climate-friendly renewable local energy sources, with optimized production-processing-operation-marketing. This project will also lead to the employment and training of local people with low socio-economic status in these ECOHUB farms, enabling them to sustainably continue the production chain and cycle in the ECOHUB farms, and to produce and process certified, marketable food and industrial products from these innovative farms, thus providing the potential for sustainable social impact.
  
  
• Soil Salinity and Saline Agriculture in Eastern & Southern Africa: Experiences from a Regional Technical Network Initiative - Jakob Herrmann, Weltweit – Association for the Promotion of Local Initiatives e.V.; Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Soil Science and Soil Protection

06/11 Transforming African farming and food systems through research and innovation – A presentation and discussion with six EU-H2020 projects

• Adam Standring, Instituto Superior de Economia e Gestão
• Idalina Dias Sardinha, Instituto Superior de Economia e Gestão
• Giles Young, Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke)
• Helena Serrano, Faculty of Sciences - University of Lisbon
• Cristina Branquinho, Faculty of Sciences - University of Lisbon
• Mary Steverink-Mosugu, ISRIC - World Soil Information
• Giovanna Seddaiu, University of Sassari
• Harun Cicek, Research Institute of Organic Agriculture
• Fernando Sousa, Research Institute of Organic Agriculture
• Vladimir Mrkajić, InoSens
• Mila Sell, Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke)

6/11 Reflections of Agroecology as pathway to climate change adaptation and mitigation

Parallel Session – Roundtable
Organised by: FARA / CORAF / CCARDESA / RUFORUM / JRC-ISPRA / AE-TPP (CIROF - ICRAF) / IFAD

This Panel Discussion  brought together experts to address the critical role of agroecology in achieving sustainable agricultural systems amidst climate challenges. The panelists identified research gaps, including the pressing need for improved dialogue between scientists and policymakers regarding soil health and agroecological practices. 

Key presentations focused on evidence supporting agroecology's benefits for food security and sustainability, alongside the importance of translating research into actionable policies. The discussion also emphasized participatory approaches to certification, farmer compensation for ecosystem services, and fostering effective communication strategies to bridge the gap between science and policy. Collaborative efforts between FARA and Ruforum were highlighted as essential for advancing research and addressing the challenges of farmer adoption of agroecological practices while ensuring immediate economic benefits. Action items include conducting quantitative studies on agroecological impacts and developing compensation schemes for ecosystem service providers.

• Alex Awiti, CIFOR-ICRAF
• Khamis Fathiya, ICIPE
• Irene Kadzere- Forichi, FiBL
• Emmanuel Njukwe, CORAF
• Felix Rembold, Food Security Team Leader at the Joint Research center of the European Commission EC-JRC
  
  
  He presented findings from systematic reviews on agroecology impacts, discussed positive impacts on food security, socioeconomic factors, and food system sustainability, highlighted ongoing review on climate change mitigation and adaptation and he emphasized the need for more quantitative data and modeling.
  
  He has led the development of the anomaly hotspots of agricultural production and was one of the initiators of the African Post Harvest Losses Information. He has lived in Africa for several years and contributes to numerous international research and cooperation projects together with the EU delegations, UN and local organizations.

Transcript of Felix' contribution:

When yesterday I heard in the introduction of Dr. Aggrey Agumya (FARA) that there are still ongoing discussions, even at a very high level and a very strategic political level, where the availability of scientific evidence that proves the potential of agroecology to have an impact on food security, on socioeconomic aspects, on climate change adaptation, and that this is still questioned, I was really feeling to be in the right discussion. 

The Joint Research center's core mission is to provide scientific evidence to European policymakers. And this includes agroecology. We are not engaged in primary research about agroecology. So in the last three years, together with other research centers such as CIRAD but also several European universities, we have started several systematic scientific reviews of scientific literature and also meta analysis. We have already published the results of three of them. 

1. 
   The impacts of agroecology on food security in comparison with conventional systems.
   
   The first review was specific to developing countries and 19 out of 26 are in Africa. It was an opportunity to characterize what agroecological practices are being implemented and are most used by farmers in those 19 African countries.There is a clear positive impact of agricultural practices on food security. It's not only through yield and production, but it's also very clearly in terms of increased availability of nutritious food and dietary diversity (the link between food security and health).
2. Socioeconomic impacts.   In 80 peer reviewed papers scientific we found clear positive association with farmers income, with revenue and also with efficiency and productivity. Of course, agroecology is labor intensive and can increase costs. But we also know that it is always a question of trade offs and cost benefit. It is important to look very specifically at local context to understand whether the overall effect on income prevails on the increase of costs or on pressure, for example on gender inequality that can be linked to the increase of labor need.
3. Food system sustainability.There is clearly less literature available on this. We compared the principles of agroecology with the food systems framework and food systems sustainability dimensions.Biodiversity has a positive impact on food systems. Increased biodiversity. Synergies in crop livestock systems or increased soil fertility with organic material in the soil and above the soil creates a number of synergies that support sustainable food systems. 

We are currently close to finalizing a review of 16,000 scientific papers about the potential of agroecology in terms of climate change mitigation and adaptation. 

Climate change mitigation:

• There is strong evidence that agroecology has a potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in particular CO2 and N2O thanks to the reduced carbon intensive inputs and thanks to the use of less fossil based fertilizers. From the 16,000 papers 300 papers have been full text contributions and some have quantitative data. There is scientific evidence about the fact that the agricultural practices can clearly and strongly increase the carbon stocks in the soil through the various practices from mulching to practices that increase organic material in the soil and agroforestry which clearly contributes to Carbon Sequestration 
• 
  Rice producing systems are contributing very strongly to methane. Methane can be reduced by different agroecological practices. The same applies also to livestock. It's a body of evidence which cannot be ignored and which can guide also political dialogue and policy dialogue and decisions for adaptation. 

Climate change adaptation:

• there is a strong body of evidence that some aspects or some practices in agroecology and in particular diversification at the farm level clearly has a strong potential to contribute to climate change adaptation. 
• Increased biodiversity can support resistance to drought or drought tolerance. 

Challenges:

• One of the challenges with the scientific reviews was to take into account practices which are not named as Agroecology. Another challenge throughout all these reviews is that we most of the time find papers or work on single practices. So the complexity and the systemic aspects are very difficult to evaluate. 
• Policymakers need not only conclusions about the potential and whether the associated  impact of agricultural practices is positive or neutral or negative. They need also more quantitative data. And this is something we started working on and I think also other research centers are working on. 
• We need to do more modeling so that we can also provide quantitative information, possibly in local contexts and not just globally. 
• A lot of research is focused on the farm and on production aspects and not on the other parts of the food system. So there is clearly a gap. The identification of this gap is the second benefit of literature review, after identifying the main comparative advantages of agroecology with conventional: what are the research gaps? This is also something we are discussing with the colleagues of RUFORUM, FARA others. What are the research gaps so that new initiatives can focus on those gaps.

Resources

• Paracchini, M., Justes, E., Wezel, A., Zingari, P.C., Kahane, R., Madsen, S., Scopel, E., Héraut, A., Bhérer-Breton, P., Buckley, R., Colbert, E., Kapalla, D., Sorge, M., Adu Asieduwaa, G., Bezner Kerr, R., Maes, O. and Negre, T., (2020) Agroecological practices supporting food production and reducing food insecurity in developing countries # 80 pp.
• Sirdey, N., Scopel, E., Ferrier, G., Khann, L., Ermolli, M. and Paracchini, M.L., (2023) Mapping the contribution of agroecological transitions to the sustainability of food systems # 78 pp.
• Mouratiadou, I., Wezel, A., Kamilia, K., Marchetti, A., Paracchini, M.L. and Barberi, P. (2024) The socio-economic performance of agroecology. A review AGRONOMY FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT, # 21 pp.

07/11 FOOD4WA: Sharing Africa's Centers of Excellence and Innovative Agricultural Solutions with the World

Parallel Session - Project Showcase & Debate

Organised by: Food for West Africa Network

In line with strengthening Inter-ACE collaborations, various thematic networks have been created under the ACE Impact Project. The Food for West Africa (FOOD4WA) is one of eight thematic networks established with the aim of advancing collaboration on cutting edge research, to address food insecurity challenges within the region. The Network headquarters are based at the Regional Center of Excellence on Poultry Sciences (CERSA) of the University of Lome-Togo.

• Eh Samba Sylla, Food for West Africa Network (FOOD4WA)
• Centre of Excellence on Climate Change, Biodiversity and Sustainable Agriculture (CCBAD) of Côte d’Ivoire
• West Africa Centre for Crop Improvement (WACCI)
• CDA of Nigeria
• AGRISAN of Senegal
• CERSA from Togo

Territorial Markets. Healthy Food, Real Relationships, and a Fair Deal

31 October 2024. Territorial Markets. Healthy Food, Real Relationships, and a Fair Deal

• farmer-led networks from Asia, Africa, and Latin America about their experience revitalizing fresh food markets and strengthening links among farmers, consumers, and public officials.
• learn about the main findings of the "Food from Somewhere" report on the status of territorial markets launched by The International Panel of Experts on Sustainable Food Systems (IPES-Food).

This virtual learning session brought together 317 participants from 71 countries. The five speakers from Asia, Africa, and Latin America shared their experiences in strengthening territorial markets as a strategy to address food insecurity, malnutrition, and the climate and livelihood crisis. The initiatives shared in the webinar, from the local to national scale, highlighted the diversity of approaches for transforming food systems through territorial markets and brought out the key role of these markets in building resilience and strengthening relationships between food producers and consumers while favoring trust and solidarity.

The webinar focused on the significance of territorial markets in promoting sustainable food systems, particularly through agroecological economies, with support from the Agroecology Fund active in over 90 countries. Key highlights included discussions on barriers faced by farmers, such as infrastructure and regulatory challenges, and presentations from organizations in Sri Lanka, Benin, and Peru showcasing efforts to empower marginalized communities, particularly women and youth, in agriculture and local markets. 

The session also featured an IPES-Food report that outlined the vulnerabilities of global food systems and underscored the resilience offered by territorial markets compared to corporate supply chains. Recommendations for future actions included necessary policy shifts to bolster support for these markets, enhancing access to agroecological products, and fostering knowledge exchange among farmers globally. Action items were established, such as sharing relevant studies and organizing exchange programs.

To learn more about the speakers’ work, see the following links:

1. Human Development Organization (Sri Lanka)
2. Les Jardins de L’espoir (Benin)
3. Asociación Nacional de Productores Ecológicos (Peru)
4. IPES-Food (Global)

Resources:

FAO (2023) Territorial Markets Initiative. 

Through the territorial markets initiative, FAO aims to highlight the importance of territorial markets to promote healthy food environments and ensure access to healthy diets and nutritious and diversified food. FAO seeks also to identify any gaps that could be addressed, as well as to provide specific recommendations for policies and investments that could be promoted by local and national institutions and governments.

IPES (2024) Food From Somewhere Building food security and resilience through territorial markets # 91 pp.

Persistent crises have also underscored the importance of resilient close-to-home ‘territorial’ markets that feed billions of people every day – from public markets and street vendors to cooperatives, from urban agriculture to online direct sales, from food hubs to community kitchens.

Food From Somewhere provides a comprehensive overview of these diverse food webs. It documents their critical contributions to sustaining producer livelihoods, ensuring access to healthy food for the poorest populations, sustaining cultures and communities, and keeping people fed in the face of shocks. The report urges governments to reinvest in local and regional supply infrastructure, relocalise public purchasing and food security strategies, and curb corporate capture of food systems.

Biodiversity for nutrition and health through Agroecology

30 October 2024. 4pm - 5:30pm Biodiversity for nutrition and health through Agroecology

Agrobiodiversity is a crucial component of biodiversity. While producing 80% of the food, family farmers and Indigenous Peoples applying agroecology and traditional knowledge, are also the safeguards of 80% of the world’s biodiversity and forests, and the custodians of indigenous and traditional crops. Fostering the traditional knowledge held by family farmers, Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities ensure a transformation towards more just, fair and resilient food systems. 

Agroecology Principles and Elements constitute a holistic approach with multiple co-benefits on biodiversity, climate adaptation and mitigation, and soil health, while providing nutritious food for all. This side event will tackle how, through agroecology, agrobiodiversity can be sustainably managed and used while promoting nutrition and health. 

At the country-level, it will showcase how agroecology is as a crucial pathway for countries like Colombia and Brazil which are striving to meet their National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans (NBSAPs), and how it achieves the multiples targets set by the Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF), 

At the local level, it will feature grassroots initiatives demonstrating how agroecology provides a pathway to protect nature, conserve the richness of biodiversity and restore degraded land and ecosystems, while producing healthy, diversified nutritious and culturally appropriate food.

2nd Dialogue "Transforming Food Systems through Agroecology"

22 October 2024. 12h00-15h00 UTC. 2nd Dialogue "Transforming Food Systems through Agroecology" by Agroecology TPP

• Bernard Triomphe - AE-TPP Co-convenor and System Agronomist, CIRAD 
• Fergus Sinclair - AE-TPP Co-convenor and Agroecology Specialist

Panel discussion: Different approaches to food systems’ transformation

• Panelists reflected on the keynote presentation from their perspectives and the work they are carrying out at local, national, regional and landscape level.
• Presentation of results from the framing survey
  

Rosina Mbenya
PELUM country coordinator for Kenya, Environmentalist, Agroecology and Food Systems

Lisa Fuchs
Scientist – Multifunctional Landscapes, Alliance of Bioversity International – CIAT

Monicah Yator
Co-chair of the Agroecology Coalition

Geovana Carreño Rocabado
Founder of the Collaborative program on Applied Ecology, member of the Agroecology TPP Community of Practice

Janet Maro
Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer Programme of Sustainable Agriculture Tanzania (SAT)

Related:

11 October 2024. The Agroecological TRANSITIONS program held a webinar on Improving local agrifood crops for enhanced yield and nutrition in Africa: Leveraging the outcomes of the AOCC model for nutritional and economic impact.

   

10 September 2024, The Agroecological TRANSITIONS program held a webinar to present their experience integrating digital resources and agroecology and explore how digital innovations can empower smallholder farmers and drive sustainable agroecological farming practices globally. The three TRANSITIONS’ projects are working to improve food security, minimize negative ecological impacts, and foster climate-informed agroecological transitions in LMICs through holistic metrics, public-private incentives and innovative pathways, and socially inclusive digital tool innovations. 

The TRANSITIONS programme is implemented by The Alliance of Bioversity and CIAT, CIFOR-ICRAF, IRRI, IWMI, The Transformative Partnership Platform on Agroecology, and the University of Vermont. It is generously funded by the European Union and managed by IFAD.