Climate change poses escalating threats to Africa, disproportionately affecting rural communities reliant on natural resources. In response, agroecology, a holistic approach to agriculture emphasizing ecological balance, social equity and cultural integration presents viable strategic opportunities to address impacts of climate change while supporting sustainable development. This approach enhances food security and climate resilience by integrating local and scientific knowledge to create adaptive food systems. Despite its potential, the explicit integration of agroecology into Africa’s National Adaptation Plans (NAPs) and Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) remains limited, underscoring the need for stronger advocacy and policy alignment.
The report presents findings of an assessment of the potential of agroecology as a climate solution and assesses its integration into African NDCs and NAPs. It aims to provide evidence of agroecology’s benefits, analyze its current policy presence in African NDCs and NAPs, and propose recommendations for its better inclusion. Agroecology principles such as biodiversity, soil health and community participation are widely alluded to in NAP documents. However, key principles like connectivity and animal health receive minimal attention. The study shows that only 22.3% of NDCs of the 53 African countries explicitly mention agroecology while of the countries that have developed NAPs, the recognition of agroecology is low.
