Why Agroecology Needs Social Movements by Million Belay
The 2nd East African Agroecology Conference was a three-day event, from March 25–28, and according to the organizers’ report, over 700 people participated. Alongside a range of side events, there were exhibitions showcasing everything from organic products to innovative techniques and methodologies for improving soil health and replacing agrochemicals. I was constantly surrounded by people — mostly young — and I loved talking with them.
Although not to the extent needed, there were occasional references to the political dimensions of agroecology. A few speakers emphasized that the barriers to scaling agroecology are not just technical- they are deeply structural, political, and economic. There was a clear call to move beyond technological fixes and instead address issues like lack of political will, inequitable economic systems, and overly centralized governance. Kenya’s attempt to decentralize to counties was mentioned, though concerns about inefficiency and misallocation of resources remain. Several speeches argued that ensuring food security should be a government mandate-not something left to corporations-and that agroecology must be supported through subsidies, policy frameworks, and the recognition of its broader contributions to political stability and resilience in the face of crises.
Some speakers also highlighted the importance of civil society, land policy reform, investment in ecological initiatives, and participatory research practices that involve farmers directly. Concerns were raised around seed sovereignty, weak regulatory environments, and the erosion of local knowledge systems like community seed banks. These discussions all point to a vital conclusion: agroecology is not merely a farming technique-it is a pathway to deep social and ecological transformation.
Yet, despite this recognition, the social movement side of agroecology was sorely underrepresented at the conference. There was a noticeable lack of keynote addresses and side events specifically referencing the political economy, political ecology, and political dimensions of agroecology. That’s why I’m sharing this reflection below-on why we need a strong social movement behind agroecology.
Agroecology is emerging as a beacon of hope in a world grappling with climate breakdown, biodiversity loss, and deepening inequality. It is not just a set of sustainable farming techniques — it’s a political, cultural, and ecological response to a food system in crisis. At its core, agroecology weaves together three interconnected pillars: science, practice, and social movement. Among these, the movement pillar is perhaps the most misunderstood — and yet, it is the one that breathes life and power into the entire approach.
Why does agroecology need a movement? Because without people organizing together, fighting for change, and challenging the dominant food system, agroecology risks being reduced to isolated projects or technocratic solutions. The truth is that transforming our food systems is not just about what happens on the farm — it’s about who holds power, whose voices are heard, and what kind of future we are building together.
Our current food system is dominated by industrial agriculture — a model that relies on fossil fuels, chemical inputs, monocultures, and corporate consolidation. It promises efficiency and yield, but too often delivers environmental destruction, poor health outcomes, and rural poverty. It is a system designed for profit, not for people or the planet.
Agroecology offers an alternative. It promotes biodiversity, nurtures the soil, respects Indigenous and local knowledge, and strengthens local economies. But choosing agroecology means challenging powerful interests that benefit from the status quo — agrochemical companies, seed monopolies, land speculators, and global supply chains that exploit both labor and land.
Social movements are essential because they give voice and power to those who are typically excluded: smallholder farmers, women, youth, Indigenous communities. These groups are not just victims of a broken system; they are also its most effective reformers. Movements bring them together to resist land grabs, protect their seeds, reclaim food sovereignty, and demand just policies.
Without a movement, agroecology risks being co-opted, greenwashed, or diluted into a set of market-friendly “sustainable” practices that leave the underlying power structures untouched.
Agroecology thrives in diversity — of crops, cultures, climates, and communities. It is grounded in the lived experience of farmers who know their landscapes intimately and have innovated ways to live in balance with nature over generations. But in today’s world, this knowledge is often devalued or erased by top-down policies, external technologies, and one-size-fits-all solutions.
Social movements play a vital role in reclaiming and amplifying local knowledge. They create spaces where farmers learn from one another — through farmer-to-farmer networks, community seed banks, and agroecology schools. They connect ancestral wisdom with contemporary struggles, and ensure that the people who feed the world have a seat at the table when decisions are made.
Movements also help communities assert their right to define their own food systems. This is the heart of food sovereignty — the idea that food is not just a commodity, but a human right, and that the people who produce, distribute, and consume food should control the mechanisms and policies behind it.
One of the most frequent questions asked about agroecology is: does agroecology feed the world? — but only if we create the conditions that allow it to thrive.
Agroecology doesn’t scale the way industrial technologies do. You can’t just hand over a “climate-smart” seed or a digital tool and call it transformation. Agroecology scales outward — farmer to farmer, community to community — and upward, when local knowledge informs national and global policy.
This process requires collective action. It requires political organizing to push for land reform, for supportive public policies, for investment in agroecological research and education. It requires alliances between farmers, consumers, researchers, activists, and policymakers. It requires resisting the privatization of seeds and knowledge, and building systems that prioritize equity, care, and ecological regeneration.
Social movements are the engine of this process. They create the momentum for policy change, they protect gains from rollback, and they keep agroecology accountable to its principles of justice and sustainability. From La Vía Campesina in Latin America to the Alliance for Food Sovereignty in Africa (AFSA), movements are ensuring that agroecology remains a tool of transformation — not just another product on the shelf.
Perhaps most powerfully, agroecology is a bridge — connecting movements for climate justice, gender equality, youth empowerment, Indigenous rights, and food justice. It is a “movement of movements” that recognizes that how we grow food is inseparable from how we live, how we govern, and how we relate to each other and the Earth.
Women organizing for land rights are practising agroecology. Youth reclaiming ancestral knowledge are advancing agroecology. Communities resisting mining or monocultures are defending agroecology. Their struggles are not separate — they are deeply interwoven, and together they offer a vision of a just, livable future
In a time of crisis, agroecology offers not only practical tools but political hope. Science can guide us. Practice can inspire us. But only a movement can carry us forward.
Because seeds grow in soil — but change grows in solidarity.
Top photo by Sonii David/Community Eye Health via Flickr (CC BY-NC 2.0) and middle photo by Lesly Derksen on Unsplash.
Originally published at https://www.localfutures.org on April 24, 2025.
