Calls for a different direction in African agriculture frame agroecology as an alternative to input-intensive Green Revolution approaches. Writing for Nation Africa, Million Belay, General Coordinator of the Alliance for Food Sovereignty in Africa (AFSA), argues that agricultural development should place greater emphasis on ecological sustainability, food sovereignty and the knowledge and experience of African farmers. The opinion piece is illustrated by the experience of Sylvia Kuria, an agroecology farmer in Lare.

The resource contributes to an ongoing debate over how African countries can address hunger while strengthening the resilience and autonomy of farming communities. Its central position is that agroecology offers a more appropriate basis for food-system transformation than strategies centred on Green Revolution technologies and external agricultural inputs. In this framing, agroecology is understood not only as a set of farming practices but as an approach connecting food production with farmer knowledge, ecological processes and food sovereignty.

Published in August 2026, the piece reflects AFSA’s advocacy for greater recognition of agroecology in African agricultural policy and investment. As an opinion article rather than an empirical evaluation, it presents an advocacy perspective on the direction of agricultural development rather than new evidence demonstrating comparative outcomes. Its contribution lies in articulating the policy debate around competing approaches to increasing food security and supporting farmers while maintaining the ecological foundations of agricultural production.