Call to invest in agroecology for sustainable food systems

The ever-busy schedule at the Bio-Gardening Innovations (Biogi), a hands-on farmer training centre in Elununi, Vihiga County is a clear testament of how smallholder farmers are eager to learn about techniques that can help them remain productive despite the changing climatic conditions.

According to Ferdinand Wafula, the founder and coordinator of the training centre, farmers from Vihiga, and as far as Kakamega and Nandi counties, have been streaming in every week to learn about regenerating seeds so as to maintain unique traits and adaptability to local climates, health and fertility of soil through the use of ecological farming practices, and to mingle with other farmers from different parts of the region.

“We support smallholder farmers in transitioning to ecological farming systems by employing principles of agroecology, and we teach them about designing permaculture units that are both productive and sustainable, integrating crops and vegetative cover to create resilient ecosystems,” said Wafula.

Mamadou Goïta, a member of the International Panel of Experts on Sustainable Food Systems, explained that agroecology is a holistic approach linked to the food system that focuses on sustainable production without hurting the environment and biodiversity, harvesting with reduced post-harvest losses, storage that is done in a sustainable way without using harmful chemicals, processing of the produce without harming the environment, trading that primarily benefits the farmers, and nutrition that supports local communities.

“It is possible to be an organic farmer, but if you are farming to export everything, or just concentrating on one crop, then you are not agroecological because it does not benefit the health of the local community and there is no crop diversity,” said Goïta, who is also the executive director of the Institute for Research and Promotion of Alternatives in Development. He noted that agroecological farmers must support social values and diets, protect biodiversity, recycle materials to improve the health of the soil, and must diversify on-farm income.

In the meantime, a consortium consisting of smallholder food producers, civil society movements, research scientists, and policymakers who recently met in Sagana, Murang’a County, is calling for strong policy support and investment to transform African food systems through agroecological practices.
“We look at agroecology as the main solution because it is a practice, a science and a social movement.
“Agroecology goes beyond systems like organic production, which only ensures that food is produced without chemicals, or climate smart agriculture, whose main target is to produce food while braving the tough climatic conditions, and this could include unsustainable techniques such as gene engineering,” said Mr Goïta.

So far, Murang’a is the only county that has rolled out its Agroecology Policy framework that now provides strong political support to agroecological farmers, value chains and markets through a series of measures aligned with all the principles of agroecology.

The framework contains a variety of concrete policy interventions such as promotion of conservation agriculture, training of farmers on manure composting, seed banking and food as medicine, establishment of an Agroecology Development and Marketing Board and creation of a dedicated organic farming unit within the county’s Agriculture Department.

At the national level, the Agriculture Policy of 2021seeks to promote agroecology farming practices for crops, livestock and fisheries. Further, the National Agroecology Strategy for Food System Transformation (NAS-FST) - 2024 - 2033 provides a coordination mechanism for all the actors in the agroecology space in transforming food and agricultural systems in an integrated manner through holistic and long-term solutions.

This includes an explicit focus on social and economic dimensions of food systems with a strong focus on the rights of women, youth, persons with disabilities, indigenous people and local communities.

According to State Department for Agriculture PS Kipronoh Ronoh, the NAS-FST aims to contribute to a sustainable transformation of the food system in Kenya to ensure food and nutrition security, climate-resilient livelihoods and social inclusion.

“It seeks to foster a transition to resilient and sustainable agriculture and food systems through agroecological approaches and promote sustainable consumption of healthy diets for all,” he said

According to the strategy, agroecology presents an opportunity to address many of the challenges facing Kenya’s food system in a manner that is eco-friendly, resilient, and just through approaches that favour the use of natural processes, improving the use of inputs available at the farm level, and promoting closed cycles with minimal negative externalities.

“It is only through promotion of such sustainable farming techniques that we can reduce Africa’s dependency on imported foods, thereby encouraging governments to invest in local food systems, infrastructure, education, and research to support agroecology and ensure food sovereignty” said Hakim Baliraine, the board chairperson at the Alliance for Food Sovereignty in Africa.

“We call on local and national governments across Africa to develop and fund policies that support smallholder farmers, seed sovereignty, and sustainable food production by allocating at least 50 per cent of their agricultural budgets to agroecology,” he added.