Sustainable Future: Advancing Agroecology for Food Sovereignty and Climate Resilience
CALL TO ACTION FOR THE 1ST NATIONAL AGROECOLOGY SYMPOSIUM HELD FROM 6TH -7TH NOVEMBER 2024 AT KENYA SCHOOL OF MONETARY STUDIES, NAIROBI.
PELUM Kenya together with like-minded partners organized the inaugural National Agroecology Symposium under the theme “Sustainable Futures: Advancing Agroecology for Climate Resilience and Food Sovereignty.” The symposium aimed to foster dialogue on transitioning Kenya’s food systems toward sustainability. Over 200 participants, including representatives from government, academia, civil society organizations, farmers, researchers, private sector players, development partners, and consumers, attended the event. Following discussions, presentations, and recommendations, the symposium underscored agroecology’s transformative potential for Kenya’s food systems, calling for concrete actions to drive this shift.
The National Government should:
- Expedite the finalization and ensure comprehensive implementation, reporting and evaluation of the National Agroecology Strategy for Food System Transformation.
- Support the development of participatory action research and farmer-driven innovations to collect locally relevant data that highlights agroecology’s role in improving climate resilience and food security.
- Create and enforce legal frameworks to protect farmer-managed seeds and address biosecurity risks.
- Work with the Kenya National Accreditation Service (KENAS) to formally recognize Participatory Guarantee Systems (PGS) as a valid certification for organic/agroecological products.
- Partner with County Governments to establish funding mechanisms and financial tools that support agroecology practitioners, prioritizing smallholders, women, and youth, to promote sustainable, resilient food systems.
- Develop, review, and enforce standards for organic and bio-based agricultural inputs.
- Implement Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) targets that align with urgent the need for food system transformation, emphasizing agroecology’s contribution to climate resilience.
- Integrate agroecological practices into National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans (NBSAP) within the agrifood sector.
- Collaborate with other African nations to discourage the use of harmful biotechnologies that threaten seed sovereignty, biodiversity, and cultural practices, promoting agroecological practices instead.
- Uphold the right for safe and nutritious food as enshrined in the constitution by banning all harmful agri-inputs that are finding themselves in Kenya yet they are banned in some parts of the world.
The County Governments should:
- Facilitate the establishment of Participatory Guarantee Systems (PGS) by developing market outlets, enhancing infrastructure, raising consumer awareness, and supporting certification for farmer groups.
- Develop and implement agroecology policies tailored to each county, supporting a fair and inclusive transition.
- Incorporate agroecological inputs within county agricultural subsidy programs to boost sustainable practices.
The Development Partners should:
- Redirect their funding to prioritize agroecology as a key strategy for transforming food systems while enhancing climate resilience for smallholder farmers, indigenous people, women, and youth.
The Civil Society Organizations should:
- Foster community awareness around agroecological practices.
- Advocate for policies that support the adoption and implementation of agroecology to transform food systems.
- Demonstrate exemplary agroecological practices and promote scaling up successful models including local markets for agroecological/organic products.
- Support gender-sensitive policies that enable women and youth to participate in agroecology by ensuring they have access to resources, training, and leadership opportunities in agricultural systems.
- Influence governmental policy frameworks to integrate agroecology as a central approach for sustainable food system transformation.
- Influence the recognition of agroecology as a climate resilient practice in the upcoming COP 29 and other climate change processes.
- Be part of movements that enhance the common agenda of food systems transformation.
Research and Academia should:
- Collaborate with farmers and agroecology practitioners to co-create knowledge, ensuring that research outcomes are accessible and adapted to practical applications within local contexts.
- Support curriculum development of agroecology at various levels of academia
- Disseminate research findings in a reader friendly format.
Private Sector should:
- Recognize the value of agroecology by establishing fair, accessible, and participatory market systems that connect agroecological producers with consumers.
- Invest in the development of agroecological innovations and inputs.
- Create community-based financial models, such as savings and credit cooperatives (SACCOs), to provide targeted support for agroecological farmers, with a focus on women-led groups and youth cooperatives.
Farmers should:
- Adopt agroecological practices for resilient and sustainable food systems.
- Embrace soil health initiatives, indigenous seeds sharing and saving and biodiversity conservation.
- Support the engagement of youth in agricultural activities.
Consumers should:
- Consciously and actively seek out and purchase agroecological and sustainably produced products to drive market demand.
- Consumer associations should collaborate with farmer cooperatives and producer groups to support the development of fair and localized value chains.
Media should:
Amplify the capture, reporting and awareness on agroecology as a transition pathway towards just and equitable food systems.
This collaborative approach outlines a pathway for Kenya to strengthen its food systems through agroecological practices, contributing to both climate resilience and food sovereignty.
PELUM Kenya together with like-minded partners organized the 2nd National Agroecology Symposium under the theme “ Scaling up agroecology initiatives for soil health, climate resilience, economic stability, and sustainable healthy food systems
The symposium aimed to foster dialogue on transitioning Kenya’s food systems towards sustainability. Over 450 participants, including representatives from government, academia, civil society organizations, farmers, researchers, private sector players, development partners, and consumers, attended the event. Following discussions, presentations, and recommendations, the symposium underscored agroecology’s transformative potential for Kenya’s food systems, calling for concrete actions to drive this shift. This call to action also revisits and acknowledges core action areas from the inaugural agroecology symposium held last year.
Among the achievements of the Call to Action from the 1st National Agroecology Symposium include;
- The National Agroecology Strategy for Food System Transformation was launched and an M&E framework and a County domestication guide is being developed.
- The Conservation, Access and Benefit Sharing Regulation at public participation , Vegetatively Propagating Seeds Regulation at the Attorney General for finalization and launch.
Therefore, this 2nd National Agroecology Symposium now calls for the following actions:
The National Government should;
- Operationalize the proposed governance structure to effectively steer and guide implementation of the NAS-FST.
- Support the County Government to domesticate and implement the NAS-FST.
- Mainstream agroecology in the extension education curriculum
- Allocate and ring fence at least 10% of the agriculture budget to agroecology
- Prioritize and include agroecological products in the government procurement for public institutions
- Mainstream agroecology in the Ministry, Departments and Agencies (MDAs).
- Promote the adoption of agroecological inputs for agricultural production.
- Fast track the creation of an enabling environment for Bioinputs.
- Support agroecological related research and research output dissemination to enhance agroecology adoption.
The County Governments should;
- Domesticate and Implement the NAS-FST in the County Level
- Promote market development for agroecological produce
- Foster Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) for agroecological transformation
- Retrain and equip extension services providers on Agroecology
- Allocate and ring fence at least 10% of the C agriculture budget to agroecology
- Integrate agroecology in the investment plan and CIDPs
- Be intentional in contributing to holistic assessment of food systems by ensuring their respective county priorities are integrated in national monitoring and reporting frameworks
The Development Partners should;
- Increase and redirect funding and technical support towards agroecology initiatives
- Demand mainstreaming of agroecology in bilateral negotiations with Kenya
- Increase scope of funded initiatives to all agroecological zones
The Civil Society Organizations should;
- Support the domestication and implementation of NAS-FST
- Promote consumer demand and behavior change
- Strengthen agroecology leadership and movements
- Foster multi-stakeholder collaboration and shared ownership
Research and Academia should;
- Address critical research gaps in agroecology, including cost-benefit analyses, soil health metrics, agro-biodiversity, and land tenure impacts.
- Co-create solutions with farmers and communities through transdisciplinary and participatory research.
- Promote knowledge translation and uptake by making agroecology research available in farmer-friendly formats.
- Integrate agroecology into education curricula.
Private Sector should;
- Enhance investment in the development of agroecological inputs.
- Financial institutions and agri-fintechs should design appropriate financial products for agroecology.
- Create and champion inclusive and transparent markets for agroecological produce.
Farmers should;
- Adopt, adapt, and disseminate agroecological practices.
- Conserve and share traditional seed varieties and indigenous food knowledge.
- Demand for policies and extension services that reflect lived realities and amplify farmer voices in decision-making spaces.
- Advocate for inclusion of AE projects in the CIDPS and county annual budgets.
- Establish agroecology cooperatives and marketing groups to improve bargaining power and reduce market exploitation.
Consumers should;
- Buy agro ecological and local foods.
- Celebrate and preserve food culture diversity, recognizing food as a source of identity, health, and resilience.
- Engage in food system dialogues and governance to demand accountability in food systems
Wayforward/Next
- The organizers and partners will elaborate the proposed call to action into an action plan that will be reported in the next Agroecology Symposium.
- PELUM Kenya and other partners under the umbrella of ISFAA will take lead in implementation of the proposed call to action in the 2nd Agroecology symposium.
Closing Remarks
Agroecology is not just a farming approach – it is a paradigm shift toward ecological balance, social justice, and food system sovereignty. The 2nd National Agroecology Symposium reaffirms that Kenya’s future lies in the hands of its farmers, consumers, and communities. Let us rise with one voice – across all sectors and counties – to champion agroecology as the cornerstone of Kenya’s resilient, inclusive, and sustainable food future.
“We call on all stakeholders to move beyond dialogue to action. The time for agroecology is now.”