THE Eastern and Southern Africa Small Scale Farmers Forum (ESAFF) has urged the Ministry of Agriculture to incorporate agroecology-based food system transformations to ensure food sovereignty and resilience in the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) strategy and action plan for 2026-2035.

Joe Mzinga, ESAFF Regional Coordinator, made this call during a virtual meeting discussing of  the draft document for the CAADP strategy and action plan, which engaged officials from the Ministry of Agriculture in Dar es Salaam.

He stated that the strategic objective of intensifying sustainable food production, industrialization, and trade includes several strategic interventions written in the draft strategy section but fails to promote farmer-managed seed systems and African food systems.

“We strongly advocate for agroecology to be a core strategy in the Kampala Declaration. It is essential for safeguarding African biodiversity, improving nutrition and health, enhancing soil quality, and increasing resilience to climate and other crises to strengthen local food systems. Agroecology offers an opportunity to transform African agriculture sustainably, rooted in the knowledge and traditions of smallholder farmers,” Mzinga emphasized. He also noted, "The importance of food sovereignty cannot be overstated in the face of changing geopolitics, wars, and sanctions. Africa must ensure its food sovereignty against any potential shifts in global geopolitics."

Mzinga expressed concern over the persistent disconnect between policy directives and the real needs of small-scale farmers, pastoralists, fisherfolk, and rural communities, recognizing that past frameworks have often failed to adequately address the needs of Africa’s smallholder food producers—the backbone of our food systems.

He highlighted that strengthening the resilience of agri-food systems will better prepare the continent to recover during and after crises, such as the COVID-19 pandemic.

Million Belay, AFSA General Coordinator, echoed these sentiments during a two-day convening on the CAADP strategy and action plan in Kampala, Uganda. He called for an end to the tokenistic inclusion of smallholder farmers and allied civil society organizations (CSOs) in key policy processes, emphasizing that the post-Malabo process must ensure the voices of small-scale food producers are not only heard but integral to shaping Africa’s agricultural policies.

He pointed out that the CAADP strategy and action plan draft document (dated September 15, 2024), much like its predecessors, remains dominated by private sector and external corporate interests. Belay called for immediate and decisive action to ensure that critical elements of the objectives, such as recognition of farmer-managed seed systems, farmer-led research, and African food systems, are fully integrated into the CAADP Strategy and Action Plan.

He also stressed the need for stronger biosafety protocols and protection against corporate control of African genetic resources, rejecting the inclusion of GMOs and corporate-driven technologies in the Kampala Declaration.

Additionally, he called for prioritizing public investment in smallholder agriculture and investment in farmer-managed seed systems and biofertilizers, advocating for public sector investment and subsidies to ensure healthy soils and resilience.

According to Belay, Africa is the most food-insecure region globally, with one in five people—around 278 million—facing hunger, underscoring that existing agricultural frameworks have not met the expected targets.