Agroecological transitions provide a systemic and integrated response to the interconnected global crises of climate change, land and water degradation, biodiversity decline, and broken food systems. Importantly, agroecological transitions extend beyond farming to encompass the entire food system, from production to consumption to waste management.  

Building research capacity through Regional Multi-actor Research Networks

Ahead of the Africa Regional Centres of Excellence (ArcX) Forum, the Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA) and the Regional Universities Forum for Capacity Building in Agriculture (RUFORUM) convened researchers from the Research for Agroecology Network Southern Africa (RAENS) and other regional networks (known as Regional Multi-actor Research Networks (RMRNs)) to strengthen their capacity to design, implement, and evaluate agroecological research and innovation. The training combined classroom-style and field learning, exposing participants to agroecological principles, innovations, and assessment tools while fostering collaboration across research networks.

Participants were urged to embrace systems thinking, interdisciplinarity, and participatory research, that is, doing science with people, not on them. Such approaches are crucial because agroecology transcends disciplinary and sectoral boundaries, balancing ecological, social, and economic values.

Images: Researchers engaging in active discussions, learning and dialogue during pre-ArcX forum training. Photo credit: RMRN

Persistent questions of scale

Agroecology promises sustainability, resilience, and inclusiveness, values long neglected in productivity-focused conventional agriculture. Yet scaling remains a concern. Industrial agriculture is perceived as more “scalable,” reinforced by entrenched policies and incentives.

Discussions also unpacked the blurred lines between agroecology and related approaches such as organic, regenerative, climate-smart, and conservation agriculture. While overlaps exist, agroecology is much broader than these approaches, encompassing ecological, socio-cultural, technological, and governance dimensions.

Fundamental questions linger about how agroecology can overcome the policy “lock-ins” that favour industrial-scale farming. Participants highlighted the need to strengthen the research–farmer–policymaker interface and proposed strategic and science-grounded advocacy. Another debate centred on scaling strategies. Scaling out agroecology is often labour- and knowledge-intensive. Some argued for scaling “deep” instead, embedding agroecological principles more firmly in local contexts.

Moving forward: Where to from here?

Some participants called for minimum standards to certify agroecology, as in organic agriculture. Others resisted, noting agroecology’s inherently non-prescriptive nature. Ultimately, the call was to ground agroecology in research, technology, and measurable performance, thereby avoiding its reduction to ideology rather than science.

Images: (L) Researchers taking part in a field experience of agroecology in practice at the Drylands Natural Resources Centre, Kenya. (R) The RAENS researchers who participated in the training. Photo credit: RMRN

Building strong communities of practice (CoPs) emerged as a key priority. These networks, connecting researchers, practitioners, farmers, policymakers, and investors, will be vital in linking evidence of agroecology’s benefits with broader adoption. They can also share lessons across regions.

Agroecology provides a transformative framework for feeding the world without consuming the earth. The task now is to continue to generate and disseminate evidence, build partnerships, and create the policy and investment conditions that allow it to thrive at scale.

Amos Amanubo, PhD candidate, University of Cape Town, Bio-economy Research Chair

The regional RAENS network is linked to similar networks in East Africa – Regional Multi-actor Research Network on Agroecology in East Africa (RMRN-EA) and West Africa – Agroecology Network to Promote the Sustainability of Food Systems in West and Central Africa (RADiUS, the French acronym). These three networks receive continental coordination and support from FARA and RUFORUM.

The overarching goal of RAENS is to:

Establish a robust, innovative, and sustainable multi-actor transdisciplinary agroecology research and knowledge network in Southern Africa to:

o Strengthen existing initiatives;

o Showcase the potential and scalability of agroecology;

o Facilitate shifts in agricultural training and research towards agroecological and regenerative ways of producing food, fibre and fodder; and

o Inform policy, thereby leading to an enabling landscape for agroecology uptake, research and training.

RAENS has four components, namely:

1) Establishing a research network to improve coordination of agroecology research in the region, in collaboration with farmer organisations, extension workers, market actors, civil society groups and other grassroots practitioners.

2) Developing a learning network, to develop the next generation of agroecology scholars and practitioners in the region. This will include development of agroecological curricular materials for various levels of teaching, as well as supervision of students;

3) Knowledge management and dissemination, to increase the availability and awareness of agroecological knowledge materials, methodologies and tools; and

4) Evidence-based policy analysis and advice, to contribute to an improved policy environment for gender-sensitive agroecological transitions at local, national and regional levels.

The group agreed on the following ground rules to guide their continued engagement:

Openness

Good participation

Listening

“De-roling” (taking off the hats that are not relevant)

Outside-the-box thinking

Respecting each other’s views

Being present

Observing time management

Through a series of plenary presentations followed by discussions, the participants came to grips with technical issues such as reporting, procurement, governance and implementation arrangements, external communications guidelines, and the draft contract.

An external expert provided a session on gender and agroecology, and the participants worked together in small groups to brainstorm and deepen thinking around the four project components. The following topics were discussed: pilot sites for agroecology research and innovation, communities of practice, students and supervision, knowledge management, and policy and advocacy. In terms of pilot sites, members of the research network will undertake farmer-led agroecological research at pilot sites in the five member countries – South Africa, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Malawi and Tanzania. Additionally, regional communities of practice will be established on key agroecology topics.

A session on monitoring and evaluation was followed by input from FARA and RUFORUM regarding their support for Regional Centres of Excellence on Agroecology (the other name for the 3 RMRNs). The European Commission’s Joint Research Centre weighed in on their scientific support to the RMRN Project. On the last day of the meeting, the group of project implementers and project coordinators sat in on the first, virtual meeting of the project’s Advisory Board. Participants learned that the Advisory Board would meet annually and although Board members would receive project reports for their information and interest, they do not have an executive or fiduciary function. The meeting was fast-paced, and a lot of ground was covered, but there was time for relaxation too as the bright lights of the Victoria & Alfred Waterfront beckoned across the bay. A number of the participants caught a shuttle to the Waterfront to go shopping and browse through the food stalls at the Oranjezicht City Farm Market.

Overall, the meeting was productive and stimulating, made for stronger connections across the region and institutions, and laid the foundations for a thriving collaboration.

Photo: Bridget Kakuwa