As the UNFCCC Subsidiary Bodies convene in Bonn for SB62, the Alliance for Food Sovereignty in Africa (AFSA) has launched a policy brief advocating agroecology as Africa’s frontline solution to climate-driven food insecurity.
The report reveals climate change has already slashed Africa’s agricultural productivity by 34% since 1961, with projections indicating worsening impacts on staple crops under current warming trends.
AFSA positions agroecology, a system combining biodiversity optimization, chemical-free inputs, and indigenous knowledge, as both a climate adaptation strategy and justice imperative. “This approach rebuilds self-reliance while cooling the planet,” said Dr. Million Belay, AFSA’s General Coordinator. The brief cites evidence from 100+ African case studies showing agroecology reduces farmer costs by up to 60%, increases crop diversity, and enhances community resilience after climate shocks like Cyclone Idai.
The recommendations target key negotiation streams at SB62, including the Sharm El Sheikh Joint Work on Agriculture. AFSA demands agroecology’s formal recognition in climate finance mechanisms, with grants—not loans—directed to smallholder farmers. The brief highlights successful national agroecology strategies in Kenya and Benin as models for scaling, while criticizing current climate finance pledges as inadequate to meet Africa’s $400 billion annual adaptation needs.
With African agriculture employing over 60% of the continent’s workforce, AFSA argues agroecology simultaneously addresses food security, biodiversity loss, and economic vulnerability. “The science is clear,” said Karen Nekesa of AFSA’s Climate Working Group. “Either we invest in sovereign food systems now, or face perpetual crisis management.”
As SB62 delegates debate implementation frameworks, AFSA’s intervention provides a roadmap for aligning global climate policy with Africa’s subsistence realities. The full brief is available at here.
