The global food system is flawed. Not only is it not delivering healthy and nutritious food but it is also a key contributor to environmental degradation, biodiversity loss, malnutrition, rural poverty, and climate change, to name a few. Agroecology has gained momentum within scientific, academic, and political spaces as an alternative and holistic approach that incorporates considerations that go beyond the farm gate and can be applied at the field, farm, regional, national, and whole food system levels.

In order to strengthen the processes and mechanisms related to an agroecological transformation of farming and food systems, the Agroecology for Europe (AE4EU) project envisioned a platform where networks and associations could come together to pool knowledge and resources, and provide mutual encouragement and support to enhance the potential impact on advancing the application of agroecological principles. After a year of deliberation amongst the project and various other networks and groups from across Europe, the European Network for Agroecological Food Systems (ENAF) was founded as a network of networks on 26 January 2023.