Battle For African Agriculture Podcast

Wanjira Mathai on carrying her mother's Legacy through Food, Climate justice & the Environment.

Can social movements transform agriculture? In this episode of The Battle for African Agriculture, Million Belay sits down with renowned agroecologist Dr. Peter Rosset to explore how organized peasant movements in Cuba and across Latin America helped build one of the world's largest agroecology movements. Together, they examine why agroecology is more than a farming practice it is a science, a social movement, and a pathway to food sovereignty. Drawing on Cuba's remarkable transition during its food crisis, Peter shares powerful lessons on farmer-to-farmer learning, the limitations of industrial agriculture, and what Africa can learn from Latin America's experience in building resilient, people-centred food systems.

In this episode of The Battle for African Agriculture, Dr. Million Belay sits down with Professor Miguel Altieri, one of the world's foremost pioneers of agroecology, to explore why biodiversity is the foundation of resilient farming and why the future of agriculture depends on working with nature not against it. Drawing on more than four decades of research and collaboration with farmers and social movements across Latin America and beyond, Professor Altieri explains how agroecology strengthens food systems through biodiversity, healthy soils, traditional knowledge, and ecological resilience. He also reflects on the origins of agroecology, challenges the Green Revolution model, and shares practical lessons from his own agroecological farm in Colombia. They examine some of the biggest questions facing global agriculture today: Can agroecology feed the world? Why are monocultures becoming increasingly vulnerable to climate change? What role do seed sovereignty, food sovereignty, and farmer knowledge play in securing our future? This conversation offers valuable insights for farmers, policymakers, researchers, students, and anyone interested in building sustainable, just, and resilient food systems.

In this episode of The Battle for African Agriculture, Million Belay speaks with renowned agricultural biodiversity scientist Dr. Awegechew Teshome, whose work across Africa, Asia, and Latin America reveals why seeds are the foundation of food security, biodiversity, and sovereignty. Drawing on more than three decades of research, he explains how farmers have been the original innovators, developing resilient crops through generations of knowledge, selection, and conservation.
Together, they unpack the hidden battle over seed ownership, the impacts of the Green Revolution, the rise of seed patents and biotechnology, and why Africa's rich agricultural diversity is key to building resilient food systems. This conversation is a powerful call to protect farmers' knowledge, embrace biodiversity, and secure Africa's food future through agroecology and food sovereignty.

In this episode, Million Belay, together with Professor Stephen Gliessman explore why agroecology is far more than ecological farming it is a political, cultural, and social movement that challenges the structures shaping our food systems. For over five decades, Professor Stephen Gliessman has been at the forefront of agroecology, helping transform it into one of the world’s most influential approaches to sustainable food systems. Drawing on 50 years of research and collaboration with farmers, he reflects on the failures of industrial agriculture, the power of Indigenous and local knowledge, the importance of seed sovereignty and youth leadership, and why genuine transformation requires shifting power rather than simply improving farming techniques. They also unpack the famous Five Levels of Agroecology, showing how the biggest change happens when communities reclaim control over food, markets, knowledge, and governance. The conversation also highlights Africa’s unique contribution to global agroecology, examines the risks of corporate capture through concepts like “climate-smart agriculture,” and points to the growing evidence supporting agroecological systems. The conversation emphasizes why culture remains one of the most overlooked yet essential pillars of sustainable agriculture.