KCOA Partners Champion Agroecology at the Africa Food Systems Forum 2025

As conversations around food systems transformation intensify across the continent, agroecology continues to emerge as a powerful, people-centered approach to achieving sustainability. This was evident at the Africa Food Systems Forum 2025, currently taking place in Senegal, where KCOA partners made a strong case for agroecology during the thematic session on “Sustainable Production.”

Agroecology in the Spotlight

The session featured inspiring insights from Manei Nanyu of PELUM Kenya a Country Implementing Partner on the KCOA-KHEA Project and Tadeo Ajuna of YPARD, who served as panelists addressing agroecology’s critical role in shaping resilient, sustainable production systems. Representing the voice of youth and grassroots movements, both speakers emphasized agroecology not just as a farming method, but as a holistic, transformative framework for food systems rooted in ecological balance, cultural knowledge, and social justice.

KCOA was well represented, with active participation from:

• The Knowledge Hub for Organic Agriculture and Agroecology in Eastern Africa (KHEA)
• The Knowledge Hub for Organic Agriculture and Agroecology in Western Africa (KHWA)
• The Knowledge Hub for Organic Agriculture and Agroecology in Central Africa (KHCA)

These hubs brought diverse experiences and on-the-ground learnings to the forum, enriching the dialogue with cross-regional perspectives.

Youth Agripreneurs: Leading the Change

One of the session’s strongest messages was the power and potential of African youth agripreneurs to lead agroecological transformation. Through an engaging dialogue format and real-world case studies, participants witnessed how young innovators across Africa are applying agroecological principles like diversification, soil regeneration, circular economies, and local governance—in practical and scalable ways.

What Needs to Change

While the energy and innovation from youth was undeniable, the session also spotlighted critical barriers that need urgent attention. These include:

• Lack of policy alignment supporting agroecology
• Limited access to finance for youth-led initiatives
• Insufficient knowledge-sharing platforms and networks

Creating an enabling environment for agroecology to thrive;especially for young agripreneurs requires coordinated action across government, private sector, and civil society.

A Collective Call to Action

The session closed with a strong call to action: mainstream agroecology as a viable, scalable, and inclusive pathway for African food systems transformation. For this to happen, KCOA and its partners continue to advocate for investments in local knowledge systems, farmer-led innovation, and supportive policy frameworks that allow agroecology to flourish.

This engagement directly contributes to KCOA’s Focus Area 3: Advocacy, networking, and stakeholder engagement. By participating in high-level dialogues and elevating youth-led agroecological innovations, KCOA and its partners are actively shaping the policy and institutional landscape needed for food systems transformation across Africa.

As the Africa Food Systems Forum continues, the momentum behind agroecology is undeniable. With youth at the forefront and knowledge hubs providing backbone support, the future of sustainable food systems in Africa looks increasingly agroecological and promising.

#KCOA #AgroecologyAfrica #AFSF2025 #YouthInAgroecology #SustainableProduction #OrganicAfrica

Prepared by Pamella Magino – KHEA Project Manager-Francis Nsanga and the KHEA Communications Officer, from PELUM Uganda and Biovision Africa Trust