Nairobi: Kenya is set to host the second Eastern Africa Agroecology conference next week, starting from 25 to 28 March at a Nairobi hotel. The conference, themed 'Strengthening Agri-food System Transformation for Resilience, Sustainability, and Socio-economic Development,' aims to harness the potential of agroecology in transforming and sustaining resilient agri-food systems.
According to Kenya News Agency, the event is organized by Biovision Africa Trust, the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development, and over twenty partners, leveraging the African Union Ecological Organic Agriculture (EOA) initiative. The EOA initiative promotes sustainable organic farming systems to improve food security, agricultural productivity, and livelihoods across Africa while safeguarding the environment.
Speaking during a press launch for the conference in Nairobi, the Chair of the Conference Organizing Committee, Dr. David Amudavi, stated that the conference will strengthen the agroecology movement by fostering collaborations, knowledge sharing, and capacity building among policymakers, farmers, researchers, development partners, and investors. He emphasized that the conference provides a forum for organizations and initiatives to share results and experiences of how agrifood systems can contribute to healthy, equitable, and resilient systems along the value chain production.
Amudavi noted that the conference builds on the success of the first Eastern Africa agroecology conference held in 2023, which focused on transforming food systems for responsible production, consumption, and a green economy in Eastern Africa. He highlighted that Kenya and most countries in the East African region face severe challenges within their agriculture and food systems, with food insecurity being a significant issue.
According to statistics, Kenya has approximately 173,000 hectares of land converted into organic farms and about 63,000 certified organic producers. Amudavi stated that Kenya is among the top African countries with increased acreage of land under organic agriculture and more farmers practicing organic agriculture.
He observed that the organic sector is growing, leading in examples of agroecological practices that can be supported, fostering discussions on the critical role of agroecology in achieving food security and sustainability in Africa. Amudavi, also the Executive Director of Biovision Africa Trust, emphasized that climate change risks, food insecurity, poor nutrition, and biodiversity loss demand bold action, and agroecology offers proven solutions.
Dr. David Kamau, a soil scientist at KALRO representing the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development, expressed government support in line with Kenya's Vision 2030 and the Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA), which prioritize agriculture as a pillar of economic recovery. Kamau mentioned that the government is committed to realizing food and nutrition security through increased sustainable agricultural productivity, focusing on soil health and building resilience to climate change.
Kamau added that the Ministry, through partnerships and stakeholder engagement, has established policies and strategies over the last three years to provide a framework for sustainably transforming agriculture and food systems. One such strategy, the National Agroecology Strategy for food systems transformation, seeks to foster a transition to resilient and sustainable agriculture and food systems through agroecological approaches and promote the sustainable consumption of healthy diets for all.
The 2nd Eastern Africa Agroecology Conference anticipates a gathering of over 700 participants, including representatives from governments, the private sector, farmers' associations, NGOs, academia, research institutions, investors, and development partners. The event will also bring together bio trade actors such as investors, researchers, buyers, and innovators to discuss market access, regulatory compliance, and global competitiveness in the sector.