The climate crisis and destructive farming practices are challenging African farmers’ ability to produce enough healthy food. The seasonal rains on which farmers depend now fail to materialise or fall in heavy storms that wash away soils and seeds.

This book published by the Alliance for Food Sovereignty in Africa (AFSA) brings together ten case studies from six countries that demonstrate the benefits of agroecology: bringing the soil back to life, conserving biodiversity, and leaving no one behind.

Tanzania’s hillside farmers show how digging terraces to create beds and building trenches to harvest rainwater prevents run-off and soil erosion. Likewise, farmers in Zimbabwe who previously struggled to find a sustainable water source now have water in such abundance that they can grow rice. Projects in Kenya and Togo have been turning to agroecology to restore soil fertility, making sustainable, organic inputs such as bokashi. Farmers learn to produce them quickly and efficiently on-site using low-cost, locally available materials. Consequently, these bio-fertilisers are cost-effective, rich in nutrients and naturally free from toxic chemicals dangerous to soil and human health. By securing land rights, teaching sustainable land management or agroforestry skills, initiatives across Uganda, Kenya and Senegal show that access to the right education and support means that no one is left behind.

These ten stories show how agroecology nurtures soil health, conserves biodiversity, and restores dignity to Africa’s small-scale food producers.