A new report by ActionAid says agroecology could increase crop yields, cut farming costs and strengthen climate resilience across Africa, calling on governments to redirect agricultural subsidies towards sustainable farming practices.
The study, which examines evidence from 10 African countries, says the approach could improve farmers’ incomes and food security, but warns that the transition requires long-term investment and support.
The report, Adapt to Thrive: Transforming Food Systems in Africa, draws on research from Ethiopia, The Gambia, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Nigeria, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
It argues that farming approaches based on ecological principles, including crop diversification, intercropping, crop rotation and reduced reliance on costly external inputs, can offer an alternative to conventional agricultural systems.
Evidence cited in the study shows that cereal-legume rotations increased cereal yields by an average of 41 percent across sub-Saharan Africa. In Tanzania, combining pigeon peas and sorghum almost tripled yields, while demonstration plots in Zambia recorded maize yields up to twice as high as conventional plots.
The report also points to a research in Kenya that found average farm profits increased by 37.8 percent after one to three years of transitioning to agroecological practices.
However, the study cautions that results vary depending on local conditions, soil health, farming systems and the support available to farmers.
“Yields can initially decline or fluctuate during the transition, and it may take three to five years for agroecological farms to match or surpass conventional production levels,” reads the report, which was released on Friday.
Farmers may still benefit earlier from reduced spending on external inputs and more diversified sources of income, the report says. Agroecological farms can also be two to four times more energy-efficient, according to evidence cited in the study.
The report calls on African governments to change how public agricultural funds are spent, arguing that existing subsidy systems often favor industrial farming inputs over more sustainable alternatives.
In Zambia, agricultural input subsidies accounted for 80 percent of the agricultural budget in 2023–24, while the figure stood at 50 percent in Zimbabwe, the study says.
ActionAid is urging governments to direct at least 30 percent of agricultural spending towards agroecology by 2035 and redirect at least one-third of agricultural subsidies from industrial inputs to agroecological approaches.
It also calls on governments to honor the commitment under the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme to allocate at least 10 percent of national budgets to agriculture.
The report argues that funding should cover more than seeds and farming equipment. It says farmers need sustained access to training, research, extension services, markets and locally adapted seeds, as well as support for the transition period when yields may be uncertain.
“Support at the wider landscape level may be necessary for up to a decade to help agroecological systems become established,” the report says.
The study highlights the experience of Janeth Nyamayahasi, a farmer in Msanga, Dodoma, Tanzania, who harvested 12 bags of maize in the previous season from a field that had earlier produced four bags.
Her experience forms part of wider community efforts involving seed banks, seed farms and demonstration plots to help farmers access locally adapted seeds and learn agroecological techniques.
The report also highlights the potential role of agroecology in addressing gender inequalities in agriculture. Agrifood systems account for 66 percent of women’s employment in sub-Saharan Africa, it says, arguing that improving women’s access to resources and opportunities is essential to building more resilient food systems.
The study cites estimates suggesting that closing gender gaps in agricultural productivity and wages could reduce the number of people facing food insecurity worldwide by 45 million.
ActionAid Africa’s secretary general, Arthur Larok, said the findings made the case for changing agricultural investment priorities.
“This study brings together evidence from across Africa that agroecology can deliver for farmers, communities and the climate,” Larok says.
“Governments should integrate agroecology into national agricultural strategies and climate plans, while ensuring that farmers have a meaningful role in shaping policies that affect their livelihoods,” Larok adds.
The report notes that 15 African countries have developed or are developing agroecology strategies, while 20 African governments and regional blocs are part of the Agroecology Coalition.
It also calls for support for the 2026 East African Legislative Assembly Agroecology Bill and for agroecology to feature more prominently in climate policy ahead of the COP31 climate summit.
