Who are we
About us
A coordination and information relay platform on agroecological transition
The Alliance for Agroecology in West Africa (3AO) is a coordination and information relay platform created in April 2018 in the West African region. Dakar in Senegal, during a meeting co-organized by ROPPA (Network of Peasant Organizations and Agricultural Producers of West Africa) and IPES-Food (International Panel Experts on Sustainable Food Systems). It currently has more than 72 members made up of farmers' organizations, research institutes/universities, international NGOs and social movements. Its objective is to promote and support an agroecological transition in West Africa to guarantee resilient, sustainable livelihoods adapted to the new West African agricultural challenges. À Through a series of concrete and concerted actions, 3AO aims to strengthen synergies between different organizations and scales of action to accentuate the strength of advocacy, the visibility of of the movement, and the impact of agroecological initiatives.
NB: 3AO is not a funding mechanism, but an intersectoral cooperation mechanism.
What is agroecology?
“ Agroecology is a universal logic that consists in rethink agricultural systems to maximize biodiversity; and at stimulate interactions between different plants and species. It’s a holistic strategy that aims to ensure fertility long-term and sustainable soils; guarantee the durability agroecosystems and the livelihoods of the farmers who depend on them.1 »
Why the agroecological transition in West Africa
The agricultural sector represents 35% of the Gross Domestic Product and employs 65% of the West African population. However, small family farmers - the main protagonists of agricultural production systems - are the first victims of hunger, which affects 36 million people in the sub-region. Therefore, one of the major challenges of West African agriculture remains its capacity to grow. to provide security sustainable food and nutrition and resilient livelihoods for a population of around 371 million people, which is expected to more than double by 2050.
While West African agriculture faces many structural challenges (loss of soil fertility, conflicts of use and access to means of production, strong pressure on natural resources) and cyclical (impacts of climate change), the approaches promoted in Pan-African, West African and foreign programs tend to promote a model of agricultural development known as « industrial ». However, this model fails to respond to issues related to the dependence of states on imported foodstuffs, their adaptation to climate change, maintaining their natural resource base and the provision of a healthy, nutritious and balanced diet for the entire population.
Despite the predominance of this model at the global level, industrial agriculture has for several years been called into question in favor, particularly in West Africa, of an agro-ecological transition. Agroecology appears as a holistic response to all West African agricultural challenges, and contributes to the implementation of the Right to; Food by proposing new bases for a sustainable and nutritious food system.
Despite their strong potentials, West African agroecological initiatives progress slowly and remain isolated, poorly documented and marginal in terms of scale and visibility. And for good reason, many barriers hinder the development of agroecology. Some are tangible and material (lack of funding, capitalization of experiences, evidence, communication, access to the market and means of production, etc.), others are systemic and normative, and operate at different levels by locking industrial agriculture in place.
The stakes are high; the obstacles are multiple, multi-sectoral, systemic and diffuse; but solutions do exist, and have been identified. By its cross-sectoral nature, agroecological transition requires simultaneous action, within different spheres of influence (politics, research, peasantry, civil society) and at the same time. different scales of action (local, national, regional, international) to unlock the status quo. Each actor, at its level, is essential to; this change. The coordination of our respective actions, the sharing of our experiences, and the strengthening of our technical capacities in agroecology will give us the keys to trigger this agroecological transition and achieve our objectives.
It’s from this observation that 3AO was born.
What strategy to ensure agroecological transition in West Africa
3AO is part of a transversal approach that aims to define “what to do” and “ how to » to strengthen existing agroecological initiatives, remove barriers to the transition, and advancing the debate on agroecology in West Africa (i.e.: Who does what? Where? When? How?) . This action strategy is based on intersectoral dialogue and understanding, the active participation of stakeholders, the collective appropriation of issues, and the assumption of responsibilities
Operation
Responsible organizations and support groups: Each initiative listed in the 3AO action plan is led by a so-called “responsible” organization. It benefits from the support, expertise and experience of the organizations that are part of the “support group” of this initiative. This pooling of knowledge and know-how tends to promote mutual knowledge, the exchange of good practices, and increase visibility initiatives, while avoiding the risk of duplicating efforts towards the pursuit of common objectives. The results of the initiatives will be shared with the whole alliance, and can be taken up by different groups.
Committee; Piloting:
The committee 3AO's steering committee coordinates and monitors initiatives. It includes representatives from ROPPA, IPES-Food, AFSA, Enda Pronat, CIRAD, and Action Contre la Faim
Contact us
For any further information and membership request, please contact the 3AO secretariat: contact3AO@gmail.com