The Participatory Ecological Land Use Management (PELUM) Association is working to advance agroecological principles and practices in East, Central, and Southern Africa. Their Kenyan chapter, PELUM Kenya, engages in advocacy, networking, knowledge sharing and capacity building to support the country’s smallholder farmers produce food in a way that heals the planet and supports their livelihoods.
“Agroecology has been feeding the world and will continue to feed the world,” Rosinah Mbenya, PELUM Kenya’s Country Coordinator, tells Food Tank.
The organization advocates for practices including organic, regenerative, conservation, bio-intensive, and biodynamic agriculture; family farming; agroforestry; and permaculture. They do not promote genetically modified organisms (GMOs) or the use of synthetic agricultural inputs.
Some critics of agroecology believe this approach is only for small-scale farmers, Mbenya explains. But she disagrees, stating that the practices can also be used in larger operations. “I think it’s the future,” she says.
But investment is needed to help farmers transition to agroecological techniques at scale. When compared to the financing available for conventional farming, the amount directed toward agroecology “is still very, very low,” Mbenya tells Food Tank. This is something both the private sector and governments will have a role to play in addressing, she says.
“We really need to ensure that we…are fast tracking the investments in agroecology, because there is a lot of work that needs to go into capacity building,” Mbenya says. But she remains hopeful this can be done. “I’m looking forward to seeing more and more investments, more and more interest in the agriculture sector.”
Listen to or watch the full conversation with Rosinah Mbenya on “Food Talk with Dani Nierenberg” to learn more about recent policy wins for farmers, what’s attracting the next generation of Kenya’s young people to pursue careers in agriculture, and the financing that will catalyze an agroecological transformation.
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Photo courtesy of PELUM Kenya
