Agroecology advocates are calling for a significant shift in investment from industrial agriculture to sustainable farming practices. They are urging both African governments and international financial institutions to redirect funding away from land grabs and agribusiness giants, advocating instead for the development of sovereign, African-led food systems.
Agroecology, according to proponents, is not merely a farming technique but a broader movement centered around food sovereignty, justice, and independence. The core principles of agroecology include farmer-led seed systems, ecological farming practices, localized food economies, and community resilience. It seeks to empower local farmers by challenging the colonial food systems that have historically dictated agricultural practices across Africa.
One key figure in this movement, Million Belay, General Coordinator of the Alliance for Food Sovereignty in Africa (AFSA), stresses the need for a united front in Africa to challenge the financial structures that support industrial agriculture. He advocates for a collective effort to track financial flows, expose where the money is directed, and push for policy reforms that discourage governments from entering into deals that prioritize agribusiness over local, sustainable agriculture.
Belay highlights the role of international financial institutions in exacerbating Africa’s reliance on industrial agriculture. He points out that, despite Africa’s abundant natural resources, biodiversity, and agricultural potential, these resources are often exploited by multinational corporations and foreign governments. Industrial agriculture, he argues, primarily benefits corporations and international financiers while leaving local farmers and economies behind.
Historically, colonial policies forced Africa into a cash-crop economy that prioritized export over local food production, and vast tracts of land were seized, displacing communities and creating a system where smallholder farmers worked as laborers for European settlers. After independence, these colonial structures largely persisted, with international financial institutions continuing to pressure African governments to adopt industrial agricultural models in exchange for promised economic growth. This pattern of financial extraction has, according to Belay, led to environmental degradation, social inequalities, and economic exploitation, with African countries trapped in cycles of debt and unfavorable trade deals.
In contrast, agroecology provides an alternative that rejects these exploitative systems. It advocates for a food system that is ecologically sustainable, socially just, and economically empowering for local farmers. AFSA is actively promoting agroecology through initiatives like farmer-managed seed systems, fostering African agroecological entrepreneurship, and advocating for territorial markets.
Agroecology offers a holistic approach to farming that not only addresses environmental challenges but also supports community resilience and local food economies. It provides a more sustainable way of farming, with benefits for climate resilience, biodiversity, and nutrition. However, the financial system overwhelmingly supports industrial agriculture, which prioritizes extractive, monoculture-driven models that deplete soils, harm ecosystems, and undermine food sovereignty.
Anne Maina, National Coordinator of the Biodiversity and Biosafety Association of Kenya (BIBA), emphasizes the need to shift funding priorities. She notes that the current financial system continues to prop up industrial agriculture, despite the clear environmental and social costs. She calls for actionable steps to disrupt the financial flows that sustain industrial agriculture and to prioritize funding for agroecological transitions that promote sustainability and resilience.
Maina and other advocates call for collective action to understand where financial support for industrial agriculture comes from, who controls these resources, and how to shift those flows toward more sustainable practices. They urge farmers, communities, and allies to work together to push governments, donors, and financial institutions to prioritize funding for agroecological initiatives.
The future of African food systems, according to these advocates, lies in agroecology. The fight for food sovereignty is a fight for economic freedom, and there is a clear call to action for those in power to invest in sustainable, localized farming systems that benefit both the environment and local communities.
