In 1981, Enda Tiers Monde, an NGO based in Dakar, Senegal, initiated a study on the risks of pesticides to human and environmental health in the region. The group observed that agricultural production techniques in Senegal relied on synthetic pesticides and fertilizers and had greatly contributed to the degradation of African peasant agriculture and the environment. In response, they created ENDA Pronat, a group that helps farmers in the region learn agroecological practices and gain autonomy over their own land.

In the 1980s, the group worked with scientists to focus on raising awareness about the destructive consequences of pesticides on the environment and encouraging alternative ways of growing food.

By replacing the chemical fertilizers and pesticides they were using with compost, neem, and other natural solutions, they embraced the elements of agroecology to transform the way food was grown in their community.

Agroecology is a science, practice and social movement that applies ecological concepts to agriculture and food systems and couples traditional and Indigenous practises and knowledge systems with transdisciplinary sciences. It is a direct response and counterpoint to the dominant, industrial food system; which is one of the biggest stressors on planetary health, contributing almost a quarter of global greenhouse gas emissions and a leading driver of biodiversity loss and species extinction.

As a global community that cares about the future of food, and the planet, it is time to commit to “evidence advocacy.” This involves pressing the communities of colleagues, funders, and researchers and scholars to widen the lens on what “counts” when it comes to evidence informing food systems transformation.

If one only sees analyses conducted by scientists in academic and corporate laboratories and peer-reviewed literature by those same scientists as credible, one misses the opportunity to learn from lived experience, storytelling, and cultural histories. 

This is what is so instructive about ENDA Pronat’s experience, as well as those of groups practising and studying agroecology in the U.S., including Ecdysis Foundation, Mad Agriculture, Funders for Regenerative Agriculture, and the University of Vermont Agroecology and Livelihoods Collaborative. These groups use an approach that deliberately connects farmers and researchers to ensure the relevance of the research to those on the ground.

Further, this approach means that farmer organizations, civil society organizations, and researchers are able to mobilize the evidence in ways that are compelling for a range of decision-makers, including both farmers and lawmakers.