Promoting organic farming and agroecology in Africa

Context

Intense, conventional agriculture often damages the environment and threatens long-term food security. Agricultural and food systems must be designed so that they protect people, ecosystems and resources.

The potential for spreading agroecological practices in Africa is great. Currently, only 0.2 per cent of agricultural land is dedicated to certified organic farming. Farmers and their communities need practical knowledge to support them with an agroecological transformation of agriculture. Therefore, there is a need for knowledge hubs that create spaces for collective learning on topics such as production, processing and marketing of organic products alongside policy-making for the promotion of organic agriculture and agroecology.

Objective

Organic agriculture and agroecology are strongly promoted by knowledge hubs throughout all African regions. An online platform ensures dissemination of knowledge and exchange across the continent.

Approach

The project is coordinated from Germany. Its measures are being implemented in five regions of Africa in cooperation with over 30 non-governmental organisations. There are four fields of action:

1. Expanding access to knowledge on organic agriculture and agroecology by collecting, validating and translating knowledge and making it available via a central database.
2. Improving technical and professional skills by training master trainers and multipliers to disseminate knowledge to specific target groups.
3. Intensifying supra-regional networking by linking representatives of value chains, civil society, the private sector and state organisations, and promoting cost-effective, participatory certification systems.
4. Supporting advocacy action in all regions with tools ranging from consumer education to policy-making.

Last update: February 2024