The regional forum on agroecology was held from December 10 to 13, 2022 in Bissau in the Republic of Guinea Bissau under the theme: “What strategy for the promotion of agroecology in West Africa? 

The forum was organized in a context of crises (food, climate, socio-economic, etc.) due in particular to the armed conflicts in the Sahel, the war between Russia and Ukraine, and the effects of climate change, which are becoming increasingly acute. . The resulting consequences, among others, soaring food and fertilizer prices thus highlight the fragility of the agricultural model based on intensification with imported chemical inputs and the need to scale up initiatives
so to ensure the food and nutrition security of West African populations.

To this end, the forum set itself the overall objective of sharing the achievements and undertaking reflections on the prospects for promoting agroecology in West Africa (WA). Specifically, the forum set itself the objective of

(i) showing the potential of agroecological practices and their contribution to the management of current crises in West Africa;

(ii) carry out an in-depth analysis of the dynamics of the Agroecological Transition in order to identify the achievements, issues, and challenges to be addressed in order to strengthen the resilience of ASPH farms;

(iii) to make recommendations for the scaling up of agroecology in West Africa.

To achieve these objectives, the forum brought together 180 delegates from 19 countries in Africa, Europe, and America, members of farmer organizations, civil society, representatives of public services from the ECOWAS Member States, and partners with technical and financial resources involved in the agroecological transition.

The four days of reflection enabled participants to (i) share and analyze successful experiences of the AT (Agroecological Transition) dynamics underway in West Africa, (ii) draw lessons from success stories, and identify major challenges in order to better understand the prospects for scaling up AE in the region. Based on the conclusions of the works and recommendations, a contribution note for the development of a development strategy for agroecology in West Africa will be produced for ECOWAS.