Agroecology for food sovereignty: African champions call for policy support and investment to transform food systems

Sagana, Kenya – From February 11th to 14th, 2025, over 100 participants from 22 African countries came together in Sagana, Kenya, for the African Agroecology Workshop (AAW 2025). Representing smallholder food producers, civil society organizations, researchers, and policymakers, this vibrant gathering celebrated the power of agroecology to transform Africa’s food systems and demanded urgent action to support sustainable, equitable, and resilient food production.

The workshop was a dynamic platform for sharing innovative practices, success stories, and strategies to advance food sovereignty across the continent. Participants emphasized that agroecology is not just a farming method but a movement that prioritizes people, nature, and local knowledge over profit-driven industrial agriculture.

A Call for Peace and Solidarity
As the world grapples with escalating conflicts, we the participants express our solidarity with communities affected by violence, particularly in the East-Kivu region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. We call for an end to armed conflicts and urged all parties to focus on building peace, protecting communities, and safeguarding the environment.

Why Agroecology Matters
Smallholder food producers, who produce the majority of Africa’s food, face immense challenges, including limited access to land, resources, and policy recognition. Agroecology offers a solution: by mimicking nature and closing nutrient cycles, food producers build their self-sufficiency and climate resilience. Agroecology also promotes biodiversity, healthy soils, diverse diets, and social equity while rejecting harmful practices like toxic and synthetic inputs, GMOs, and monocultures.

Participants celebrated inspiring examples of agroecology in action, such as the successful development of an agroecology policy in Muranga County, Kenya, where local governments, civil society, and farmers collaborated to create inclusive, people-centered policies.

A Vision for the Future
The workshop highlighted the urgent need to reduce Africa’s dependency on imported goods and invest in local food systems. Participants called for heavy investment in infrastructure, education, and research to support agroecology and ensure food sovereignty.

Key Calls to Action:

1. Governments must prioritize agroecology by developing and funding policies that support smallholder farmers, seed sovereignty, and sustainable food production.
2. Follow Senegal’s lead: All African governments should allocate at least 50% of their agricultural budgets to agroecology.
3. Support farmer-managed seed systems and reject corporate control of seeds.
4. Place agroecology at the heart of school curricula and agricultural training programs to empower future generations with sustainable, resilient farming practices.
5. Support participatory research that addresses the unique needs of smallholder farmers.
6. Advocate for agroecological solutions to climate change to enhance resilience and protect against false solutions like carbon trading.
7. Celebrate and preserve indigenous agroecological knowledge and practices.

A Unified Commitment
We reaffirm our dedication to building a future where agroecology thrives, women are empowered, and food sovereignty is realized across Africa. Together, we pledge to amplify the voices of smallholder food producers, advocate for policy change, and create resilient, inclusive food systems.

Join the Movement!
It’s time to shift from exploitative industrial agriculture to a food system rooted in agroecology and food sovereignty. The future of Africa’s food systems depends on it!