Nairobi — With just a quarter of an acre of land in Kesses near Kenya's Eldoret town in the Rift Valley region, Samson Tanui is practising agroecology and his permaculture unit has become the centre of attraction for farmers from near and afar amid food shortages during the current COVID-19 pandemic.

In fact, the Food Sustainability Index, created by the Barilla Centre for Food and Nutrition (BCFN) and the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), recognises that agroecology "taps into traditional agricultural knowledge and practices, plays an important role in sustainable farming by harnessing local ecosystems".

"Tapping into local ecosystems, for example via using biomass and biodiversity, the traditional farming practices that make up agroecology can improve soil quality and achieve food yields that provide balanced nutrition and increase fair trade," the Food Sustainability Index notes.

According to the new report, just like the case of Tanui in Eldoret, agroecology has the potential to build resilience and sustainability at all levels, by reducing vulnerability to future supply shocks and trade disruptions, reconnecting people with local food production, and making fresh, nutritious food accessible and affordable to all.

However, the findings show that very little agricultural research funding in Africa is being used to transform such food and farming systems.