Editorial
The second quarter of 2026 was marked by a clear shift from advocacy alone towards influence, implementation and institutional change. Across the period, AFSA’s work entered legislative chambers, regional trade discussions, global climate negotiations, financial policy debates and community learning spaces. The significance of this quarter lies not only in the number of activities undertaken, but in the way they connected. Seed rights were linked to human rights. Agroecology was linked to law and trade. Soil restoration was linked to enterprise. Food culture was linked to citizen power. Research was used not simply to describe problems, but to challenge the institutions and investment models shaping Africa’s agricultural future.
Several developments gave this quarter particular weight. The East African Community Agroecology Bill moved formally into the legislative process. The N’Djamena Declaration gave renewed continental direction to farmer managed seed systems. African farmer testimony began feeding directly into a United Nations process on the right to seed. At the same time, AFSA questioned the choices being made by major financial institutions, advanced agroecology in climate negotiations, strengthened agroecological markets and enterprises, and documented practical evidence from communities restoring soils and building livelihoods. The launch of the My Food Is African Barefoot Guide also expanded the conversation beyond policy, reminding us that food systems are shaped every day in homes, schools, markets, kitchens and public culture.
This edition therefore tells a story of convergence. Laws, markets, seeds, finance, climate, culture and community action are often treated as separate fields, yet the quarter showed how deeply they depend on one another. AFSA’s achievement was to hold these threads together and to keep African farmers, citizens and communities at the centre of each conversation. What emerges is not simply a record of completed activities, but evidence of a movement gaining stronger tools, clearer positions and greater influence over the decisions that will shape Africa’s food future.
