A coalition of farmers, researchers and activists has launched a continental campaign to redirect financial support from industrial agriculture toward traditional farming methods.
The movement emerged from a Nairobi conference organized by the Alliance for Food Sovereignty in Africa, where participants outlined strategies to challenge current investment patterns in African food systems.
Development finance institutions and private equity firms currently channel most agricultural funding toward large-scale industrial projects, according to forum participants. They cited data showing less than 3% of European Union agricultural funding to UN agencies supported agroecology initiatives between 2016 and 2018. Critics argue these financial flows promote chemical-dependent monocultures while marginalizing smallholder farmers who produce most of Africa’s food.
The Nairobi meeting highlighted several concerns about current agricultural financing. Participants noted that 76 percent of pesticides used in Kenya are classified as highly hazardous, with many banned in developed countries. Proposed trade agreements could further consolidate corporate control over seeds through intellectual property rules, potentially undermining traditional seed sharing practices.
Several African nations have begun implementing alternatives. Senegal, Mali and The Gambia have introduced policies supporting organic inputs and indigenous farming knowledge. Conference attendees pointed to these examples as models for broader transformation, calling for African-led financial mechanisms to reduce reliance on external funding sources.
The alliance plans to intensify pressure on development banks and agribusiness investors through targeted campaigns. Their strategy includes legal challenges to hazardous pesticides, expanded farmer training programs, and advocacy for national policies that allocate at least 30 percent of agricultural budgets to sustainable practices.
This growing movement reflects deeper questions about Africa’s agricultural development path. As climate change disrupts food production, proponents argue agroecology offers both environmental benefits and economic resilience for small-scale producers. The debate extends beyond farming techniques to fundamental questions about who controls Africa’s food systems and for whose benefit.
The Nairobi conference has laid groundwork for sustained advocacy, with plans for regional dialogues and policy engagement across the continent. While significant financial and political obstacles remain, the gathering marked an important step in organizing resistance to current agricultural investment trends. The coming years will test whether this coalition can meaningfully redirect resources toward more sustainable food production models.
