“Seeds of Change” Project
Theme: Youth mobilizing for Agroecology and Resilient Food Systems

Across Africa, smallholder farmers and communities are increasingly confronted by climate change, declining soil fertility, biodiversity loss, rising production costs and the erosion of Indigenous seeds and farming knowledge. Young people and women, despite their central role in food systems, often have limited access to the knowledge, resources and opportunities needed to lead the transition towards more sustainable and resilient food systems.

Our multi-country agroecology project is working with communities in Nigeria, Kenya, Zimbabwe and Zambia to change this. The initiative combines practical agroecology training, community and school-based learning farms, Indigenous seed conservation, youth leadership and policy advocacy to strengthen locally led food systems transformation.

At the heart of the project is a learning-by-doing approach. Through community and school-based agroecology model farms, farmers and young people gain hands-on training in sustainable agricultural practices. These include agroforestry, bio-input production, integrated pest management, soil and water conservation, seed preservation, and Farmer-Managed Natural Regeneration. Beyond technical skills, the farms also encourage better nutrition, biodiversity conservation, climate resilience, and peer-to-peer learning.

Over two years, Agroecology Bootcamps will train approximately 1,150 young people across the four countries. Participants will become local agroecology champions, applying what they learn on their farms and sharing knowledge within their families and communities. Community-based Indigenous seed banks will complement this work by conserving and multiplying locally adapted, nutrient-rich crop varieties, strengthening agricultural biodiversity and local seed sovereignty. The project will also turn grassroots experience into resources for wider learning. A practical agroecology training manual, adapted to local contexts and languages, will support farmers, young people and community organisations to replicate successful practices.

Importantly, change on farms will be connected to change in policy. The project will analyse national food, agriculture and climate policies, develop evidence-based policy recommendations, and create opportunities for farmers, young people and women to engage directly with decision-makers through a Food and Climate Symposium and other policy platforms.

Working with young people, women smallholders, Indigenous peoples, pastoralists, people living with disabilities, extension officers and other local actors, the project aims to build more than individual skills. It seeks to catalyse a grassroots movement for agroecology that connects community knowledge, practical solutions and policy advocacy. Overall, the project seeks to demonstrate how locally led agroecology can strengthen food and nutrition security, climate resilience, biodiversity, sustainable livelihoods and community agency. It will also empower communities across Nigeria, Kenya, Zimbabwe and Zambia to lead the transformation of their own food systems.