ADDIS ABABA, ETHIOPIA — Agroecology is emerging as a key strategy to restore Africa’s food sovereignty and dismantle lingering colonial food structures, says a leading food systems advocate.
Million Belay, General Coordinator of the Alliance for Food Sovereignty in Africa (AFSA), told Sputnik Africa that agroecology is deeply rooted in indigenous knowledge and practices.
“It’s based on our own knowledge and our own inputs. And our own ways of living,” Belay stated during the African Chefs Gathering and Policy Convening on African Food Systems in Addis Ababa.
He warned that Africa’s food culture is under threat from ultra-processed imports and export-driven agriculture systems, which prioritize productivity over public health, cultural identity, justice, and environmental sustainability.
“Colonial food systems push productivity at the cost of everything else. We are losing our traditional, nutritious, and culturally rich diets,” he emphasized.
Belay urged Africans to reject imposed narratives and reclaim their food sovereignty by honoring indigenous agricultural systems and promoting agroecological practices.
Source: SputnikAfrica
