Agroecology

«Through agroecology, we can link biodiversity conservation and restoration to people and ensure we achieve the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework’s (KMGBF) targets by working hand-in-hand with local communities.» This inspiring message emerged from the peer-to-peer exchange «Boosting National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans (NBSAPs) through Agroecology» held on 9-10 May in Kenya with 25 NBSAP focal points, food system and agroecology focal points and CSO representatives from Colombia, Cambodia, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda and Zimbabwe.

The one-day conference «Day of Agroecology» was held on 7 May at IITA Kalambo/South Kivu, DRC among 5 universities and three joint Swiss-DRC projects (SNSF DELIBERATE, SDC RUNRES, and EU project CANALLS) with over 100 participants. Million Belay from AFSA (Alliance for Food Sovereignty in Africa) held a keynote entitled «Why social movements are necessary for agroecological transitions». The event was opened by ETH Zürich Professor Johan Six and SNSF Eccellenza Assistant Professor Johanna Jacobi.

Agroecology offers multiple benefits for a transition to sustainable agri-food systems. But how can we bring agroecology to scale at country-level? National Agroecology Strategies, have the potential to harness opportunities of upscaling agroecological production practices, developing markets, value chains and consumer demand that can accelerate transition.