After five decades working on agroecology, Professor Stephen Gliessman argues that changing how food is produced is only part of the transformation. In conversation with Million Belay, he presents agroecology as an ecological, social, cultural and political approach that questions who controls food systems, from seeds and knowledge to markets and governance.

The episode explores Gliessman’s well-known Five Levels of Agroecology, moving from improving farm efficiency and replacing harmful inputs toward redesigning agroecosystems and, ultimately, transforming relationships across the wider food system. Particular attention is given to Indigenous and local knowledge, seed sovereignty, youth leadership and the role of culture, which the speakers describe as an often overlooked but essential dimension of sustainable agriculture.

The discussion also considers Africa’s contribution to agroecological thinking and practice, alongside concerns that agroecological ideas can be diluted when absorbed into broader concepts such as “climate-smart agriculture” without addressing questions of power and control. Rather than presenting agroecology simply as a technical package, the conversation emphasizes farmer agency, community-led knowledge and locally rooted food systems.