NewzNAIROBI, Kenya Aug 2 — Organic farmers have been urged to organise themselves and harness their collective knowledge to develop locally appropriate solutions to the country’s agricultural and environmental challenges. Lisa Fuchs, a scientist at the Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT specialising in social and agroecological systems, said farmers already possess significant knowledge that can help address challenges affecting food production. Fuchs said farmers need to identify solutions that work within their specific contexts, organise through groups and communities, and use their collective knowledge to innovate.
“Farmers already have a lot of solutions to the agricultural challenges. They only need to understand which solutions make sense in their context, organise amongst their groups or communities and use their knowledge to innovate,” she said. She described agroecology as a science, a farming practice and a movement that brings people together to mobilise knowledge and produce food while protecting the environment.
Fuchs was speaking in Nairobi during the 3rd National Agroecology Symposium Kenya, which brought together hundreds of small-scale organic farmers, community groups, national and county government officials and development partners. The symposium was organised by Participatory Ecological Land Use Management (PELUM) Kenya in partnership with the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development. Fuchs encouraged farmers to work closely with their neighbours and establish strategic partnerships with government agencies, agricultural extension officers and non-governmental organisations.
She said such partnerships can help communities develop solutions that respond directly to local farming conditions rather than relying solely on externally developed interventions. “Farmers should produce crops for their families and communities to ensure that everyone has access to healthy diets,” she said. Fuchs said agroecology is built around 13 principles, which provide a framework for developing sustainable and resilient food systems.
The principles include recycling, input reduction, soil health, animal health, biodiversity, synergy, economic diversification, co-creation and sharing of knowledge, social values and diets, fairness, connectivity, land and natural resource governance, and participation. Fuchs explained that agroecology combines…
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