Why agroecology is a dead end for Africa

The urgent need to transform Africa’s agriculture has led to a rise in advocacy for more holistic and sustainable models such as agroecology. However, in the name of working within the limits of nature, and of social justice, proponents of agroecology in Africa are—knowingly or unknowingly—pushing for the status quo. Moreover, the anti-corporate, anti-industrial sentiment informing the arguments of agroecology is likewise disconnected from the current economic reality in many African countries. Whatever one’s position, arguments about what path Africa’s agriculture should follow need to be based on a clear understanding of the starting point, on the reality of African agriculture as it exists today. The agroecological model advocated is too restrictive to transform the sector. At best, it seeks not to transform, but to trap farmers in the poverty of their current unproductive farming practices