– by Lindy Morrison
At its heart, the agroecology movement challenges one of the most deeply embedded assumptions in development thinking: how do we define progress?
Much of modern development has been shaped by the experience of industrialised economies, where progress has been associated with increasing productivity, industrialisation, urbanisation and fewer people working in agriculture. There is no doubt that this model has increased agricultural production. But it has also concentrated power within global food systems, accelerated the degradation of soils, water and biodiversity, and left millions of people without secure access to healthy, nutritious food and meaningful livelihoods. We produce more food in terms of calories than at any point in history, yet hunger, malnutrition and inequality persist.
Agroecology offers a different vision of progress. It recognizes that productivity matters but cannot be the only measure of success, and argues that healthy food systems should not only produce food, but also regenerate natural resources, strengthen local economies, improve nutrition and enable farming communities to retain greater control over their seed, knowledge and livelihoods. Ultimately, food systems must sustain both people and the ecosystems on which future generations will depend. This is where young people become central to the conversation. They will shape the future of the food systems we are working to build.
Development policy often assumes that economic transformation will naturally reduce the number of people working in agriculture as young people move into other sectors. Yet at a time of climate change, growing food insecurity and environmental degradation, the greater challenge is not how quickly agriculture can modernise but what kind of modernisation will deliver healthy people, healthy ecosystems and prosperous rural communities.
Long before SKI was established, farming communities and many of our partner organisations were demonstrating that another pathway was possible. Over the past decade, SKI has had the privilege of working in collaboration with them to strengthen collective learning, action and hope. Together, we have seen young people establishing their own agroecological enterprises, conserving seed diversity, restoring landscapes, influencing local markets and proving that agriculture can be innovative, entrepreneurial and rewarding.
The stories in this newsletter are therefore about much more than youth. They are stories of leadership, innovation and hope. They represent a different vision of development, one in which thriving rural economies, healthy ecosystems and prosperous farming communities are recognised as essential indicators of progress. The future of agriculture will not be determined simply by new technologies or increased production, but by the choices we make about the kind of food systems and societies we want to build.
Changing agriculture is not simply about changing farming practices; it is about changing the story we tell about development itself. Encouragingly, across Southern Africa, farmers, communities and young leaders are already writing that new story
