Adapt to Thrive: Transforming Food Systems in Africa - The Case for Investing in Agroecology

Across Africa, the dominant industrial agriculture model has failed to end hunger and is steadily eroding the ecological foundations of farming. Dependence on imported synthetic fertilisers, pesticides and commercial seeds exposes farmers and governments to volatile prices, creates costly dependencies and leaves food systems increasingly vulnerable to climate shocks.

ActionAid’s new report, Adapt to Thrive: Transforming Food Systems in Africa - The Case for Investing in Agroecology, brings together research and experience from Ethiopia, The Gambia, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Nigeria, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe. It shows that agroecology is a practical, scalable and cost-effective pathway to food security, climate resilience, ecological restoration and inclusive rural development.

Agroecology is a whole-system approach to farming and food that works with nature rather than against it. It is at once a field of science, a set of sustainable farming practices and a social movement, bringing together scientific research, farmers’ experience and traditional knowledge.

Rather than adding a single ‘sustainable’ technique to industrial agriculture, agroecology seeks to transform how food is produced, knowledge is shared, markets operate and decisions are made, placing farmers and communities at the centre while protecting ecosystems, strengthening livelihoods and reducing inequality and dependency.

The evidence reviewed in the report shows:

• Agroecology can deliver comparable or greater yields than industrial agriculture. This includes a 41% average increase in cereal yields from rotating legumes with cereals in Ghana, an almost threefold rise in pigeon pea and sorghum yields in Tanzania, and maize yields up to twice as high in demonstration plots in Zambia.
• Farmers can benefit financially through lower input costs and more diverse crops and income streams. Studies in Kenya found an average 37.8% increase in profits after the transition.
• Agroecology strengthens climate resilience by stabilising production during dry periods and droughts, restoring soil health and supporting biodiversity. Agroecological production can also be two to four times more energy efficient than conventional farming.
• Women are central to Africa’s food systems, accounting for 66% of women’s employment in sub-Saharan Africa. However, unequal access to land, finance, technology, markets and decision-making continues to restrict their ability to lead and expand agroecological solutions.
• Public finance continues to favour industrial agriculture. In 2023–24, subsidies for mostly imported synthetic fertiliser and hybrid seeds absorbed 80% of Zambia’s agricultural budget and 50% of Zimbabwe’s, despite both countries developing agroecology strategies.

The briefing was prepared for ActionAid International by Stefanie Swanepoel, drawing on a broader scoping study by Dr Wale Olayide and Dr Martin Oulu. Conducted in late 2025 and early 2026 across ten African countries, the research combined a review of academic and grey literature, government and NGO reports, and agricultural and environmental databases with field data from Kenya, Nigeria and Zimbabwe, interviews, and surveys with farmers’ organisations, researchers, policymakers, civil society organisations, private-sector actors and donors.