Agroecology supports sustainable development in Africa. A review

Abstract

In African countries with high levels of food insecurity, food system transitions are key avenues for sustainable development but could also lead to serious trade-offs, depending on factors such as climatic conditions and socio-economic context. Here we review evidence of agroecology’s impact on economic, social, environmental, and food security outcomes in 17 African countries with high food insecurity to assess how agroecology might contribute to Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The major findings are as follows: (1) agroecological practices positively affected multiple SDGs across semi-arid, sub-humid and humid agro-climatic zones for 94% of outcomes measured; (2) agroecological practices positively influenced two or more SDGs at the same time in 79% of articles. Crop diversification and agroecosystem diversity, for example, simultaneously lowered production costs (SDG1) and boosted yields (SDG2) through better soil health or agroecosystem resilience to climate events (SDG13/15), while reducing agrochemical pollution (SDG6) and improving biodiversity (SDG15). (3) Trade-offs between SDGs were documented in 14% of papers, and a negative feedback was observed between SDG8 (economic growth) and SDG5 (gender equity), with women disproportionately affected by the labour requirements of agroecological practices. Results from the review suggest that practical implementation of agroecology has the potential to reinforce interdependencies between SDGs, recommending this approach as an integral component of food system transformations for sustainable development.