Agroecology

Agroecology is far more than a set of sustainable agricultural practices. Agroecology puts peasants and indigenous voices at the center. It seeks to preserve biocultural diversity and strengthen resilience while challenging existing power structures in the food system. This dossier is a collaborative effort of Heinrich Böll Foundation offices and our partner organizations worldwide to highlight the diversity of agroecological initiatives within our global network. From community-led digital innovations to public policy strategies, it explores how agroecology redefines food systems and promotes people’s agency.

For families of people who have been forcibly disappeared in Kenya, the search for answers can stretch for years. As the country marks 20 years since the adoption of the international convention on enforced disappearances, Shukri Wachu the National Coordinator of the Missing Voices Coalition, examines Kenya’s record, the urgent need for accountability, and what ratification could mean for victims and their families.

Food security should not come at the expense of public health, farmers or the environment. Kenya needs to move beyond dependence on toxic pesticides and invest in farming systems that can nourish people while protecting the ecosystems on which agriculture depends. By Candy Margaret Vizengwa 

How safe is the food on our plates?  New research examining pesticide residues in vegetables commonly consumed in Kenya offers fresh evidence on the state of food safety and practical household methods that can help reduce pesticide residues before consumption. Join us for Food Safety in Kenya: From Evidence to Action as researchers, policymakers, farmers and consumer advocates explore the findings and discuss solutions for building safer food systems.

When conflict escalates, such as the one unfolding in the Gulf, the first images that come to mind are usually oil tankers, fuel prices and diplomatic tension. But the effects do not stop there. They move into fertiliser markets, then into farms and from there into food systems. In countries like Kenya, this is not something distant or theoretical. It shows up quickly in the cost of farming, even if the full effects on consumer food prices may take longer to work their way through markets.¹

Kenya’s youth are no longer confined to the streets in protest; they are steadily claiming space within the political arena itself. With a renewed sense of agency, they are reshaping how power is negotiated and challenged. In doing so, they are positioning themselves not just as participants, but as decisive architects of the country’s future.

Across Morocco, Kenya, and Madagascar, youth-led movements are challenging political power through decentralised leadership, street mobilisation, and cross-border solidarity. While digital tools help coordinate action, the protests reflect deeper frustrations over inequality, corruption, and political exclusion.

As Kenya approaches a critical electoral period, concerns over police abuse and the erosion of civic freedoms are becoming increasingly urgent. Despite constitutional guarantees, many young people continue to face violence and repression when exercising their rights, reflecting a troubling pattern of impunity. Drawing on recent cases and the findings of the Missing Voices 2025 report, this piece examines the scale of the crisis and calls for accountability, justice, and sustained collective action.