ActionAid is calling on African governments to increase funding for indigenous and agroecological farming, which it says can strengthen food security and climate resilience.
Its latest report, Adapt to Thrive – Transforming Food Systems in Africa, draws on research from 10 African countries and links agroecology to higher yields, lower costs and more sustainable food systems.
Agroecology applies ecological principles to farming through crop diversity, composting, water conservation and locally adapted seeds. These practices improve soil health, protect biodiversity and strengthen farmers’ resilience to climate change.
The countries surveyed were Ethiopia, The Gambia, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Nigeria, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
Arthur Larok, Secretary-General of ActionAid International, says, “Farmers are improving yields and income while reducing dependence on costly imported inputs and protecting the soils and ecosystems on which food production depends.”
“Through our Fund Our Future campaign, ActionAid is calling for public finance to stop fuelling industrial agriculture and instead support women, farmers and communities already building workable solutions.”
Released on World Food Day, the report notes that 15 countries have developed or are developing national agroecology strategies, while 20 other African governments and regional economic blocs have joined the Agroecology Coalition.
The report says these commitments require sustained public finance, enabling laws and coordinated action across policy, markets, knowledge systems and technology.
Its findings include yield increases of up to 41% from cereal-legume crop rotations across Africa, an almost threefold increase in pigeon pea and sorghum yields in Tanzania, and maize yields up to twice as high in Zambian demonstration plots.
These gains came alongside lower input costs. In Kenya, the report records an average 37.8% increase in profits after a transition period of one to three years.
The report challenges heavy public investment in industrial agriculture, saying it creates dependence on imported fertilisers, pesticides and commercial seeds. This exposes farmers and governments to volatile prices, deepens costly dependencies and damages soils and biodiversity.
However, the transition is not immediate. Yields may take three to five years to match or surpass those of conventional farms as soils and ecosystems recover, the report says.
Pigeon pea and sorghum yields almost tripled under agroecological approaches in Tanzania. Farmers trained through the national farmers’ organisation MVIWATA reported a 30% increase in production.
Janeth Nyamayahasi, a farmer from Msanga, Dodoma, says, “At our seed bank, farmers can borrow seeds during planting season and return them after harvest. This keeps our indigenous seeds alive in the community. When we protect our seeds, we protect our food, our culture and our future.”
The ActionAid findings point to a renaissance. After decades of promoting input-heavy industrial agriculture as the path to food security, Africa is rediscovering that its own farming practices may hold the answers it has been seeking.
The report urges the East African Legislative Assembly to speed up consideration of the 2026 Agroecology Bill and calls on the African Union to protect indigenous and farmer-managed seed systems.
It also urges the African Development Bank to adopt clear agroecology indicators for agricultural finance and stop labelling industrial agriculture as “climate-smart”. ActionAid is calling on the bank to prioritise grant-based support and finance the full transition rather than rely on short project cycles.
The call comes as the African Development Bank invests heavily in industrial agriculture, including through its $24 billion agricultural transformation pledge under the Feed Africa Strategy.
