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Repositioning AFSA

To meet the new opportunities and address the ever-changing challenges AFSA is continuing to press strongly for change in its four thematic areas, ensuring continuity and validating the importance of the work already begun.

AFSA’s focus for the five years (2020-2024) shall be: Driving the Transition to Agroecology in Africa

During the period of this strategic plan AFSA will pursue the following priorities:

  1. Transitioning to Agroecology for Climate Action
  2. Strengthening Farmer-Managed Seed Systems
  3. Strengthening Community Voices for Land Rights and Healthy Soils
  4. Mobilizing Citizens Support for Sustainable Food & Nutrition Systems

The first repositioning might be characterized as “Thinking Regionally, Acting Nationally”. While continental / regional policy is critically important, national policy and practice is where the rubber meets the road. Our member constituencies live in villages, towns and cities and this is where they are primarily engaged in activism, to improve the lives of their families and communities. This is where the energy and passion for change is most apparent. We intend to harness this energy, the energy of local activists, women, men and particularly the energy of youth – to take the struggle to the streets, building the movement and accelerating the transition to agroecology. This new ‘country focus’ will play out across the four strategic priority areas below, as each work-stream targets a specific set of African nations.

A second repositioning is the shift of emphasis from traditional policy advocacy to campaigning. After more than a year of member consultation, AFSA has for the first time launched a dedicated campaign, a clearly targeted battle to place agroecology at the center of the climate debate in a dozen selected countries.

A third repositioning is the strengthened emphasis on women and youth, recognizing the immense contribution of women in the struggle for food sovereignty, and the huge potential of youth in growing agroecology. Under the new strategy, AFSA will strengthen its work to tackle injustice around women’s land and property rights, mainstream gender in all the working groups, develop an AFSA gender policy and action plan, and support and encourage the energy of youth.

A fourth repositioning relates to the way AFSA is seen from the outside. This strategy period will see AFSA repositioned not only as a communications resource provider and capacity-builder, but as the leading African voice connecting the African movement for agroecology to the international policy space. AFSA will define, brand and illustrate what agroecology means for African food producers and eaters, positioning agroecology as an African-led solution, in opposition to a western-led industrialization of agriculture driven by profit.

See the plan here

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