From 21 to 24 October 2024 in Abuja, Nigeria, the West Africa Agroecology Alliance (3AO) and the West Africa Organic Network (WAfrONet), in partnership with ECOWAS and ActionAid Nigeria, will be holding a Regional Forum on Agroecology (AE) and Organic Farming (OA) on the theme: Financing the transformation of sustainable food and nutrition systems for food sovereignty in West Africa through organic farming and agroecology: what policies, mechanisms and instruments?

The forum will bring together about 400 participants from various sectors - networks of farmers' organisations, public institutions, civil society organisations, researchers, policymakers, and private sector players - to reflect on financial policies and mechanisms towards strengthening food sovereignty in West Africa through sustainable food systems.

The event will feature 06 keynote presentations, 08 panels, 11 thematic working groups and a dialogue session with decision-makers from regional institutions such as ECOWAS, UEMOA, CILSS and CORAF.

Indeed, West Africa is faced with four (04) major challenges: (i) structural food and nutrition insecurity, (ii) the effects of climate change through extreme weather and climate events (droughts, floods, heat waves, etc.) as well as rising sea levels, (iii) salinization and physico-chemical degradation of agricultural land and (iv) growing insecurity that weakens production systems.

The overall objective of the forum is to promote the development of sustainable food systems with a view to strengthening food sovereignty in West Africa through the adoption of policies and sustainable public interventions based on the best practices of AE, OF and CSA (Climate Smart Agriculture).

The forum will also provide a multi-stakeholder platform for an in-depth analysis of the opportunities and challenges of AE and OF funding for food sovereignty in West Africa. It will additionally offer an opportunity for AE and OF stakeholders to renew their commitment to work alongside ECOWAS and regional institutions, public bodies, and local authorities to support the scaling up of AE, OF and CSA best practices. The forum will benefit from technical and financial support of partners such as ECOWAS, the European Union, AFD, the Adaptation Fund (AF), BOAD, the Green Climate Fund and Action-Aid.

Press Release