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.
The call to action will be published after the symposium on 10th and 11th July 2025
