Across Africa, farmer organizations and regional networks are confronting a paradox at the heart of the global food system. Many countries produce significant agricultural wealth for global markets, exporting commodities such as cocoa, coffee, cotton, tea, and flowers. Yet hunger and food insecurity persist in many of the same regions that generate this value.

For organizations like La Coordination Nationale des Organisations Paysannes du Mali (the National Coordination of Farmers’ Organizations –  CNOP), represented by President Ibrahima Coulibaly, and the Alliance for Food Sovereignty in Africa (AFSA), represented by its General Coordinator, Dr. Million Belay, this paradox reflects deeper structural problems within global agricultural systems. The question is not simply how much food is produced, but who captures the value and who bears the risks.

The Legacy of Export Agriculture

The roots of today’s agricultural systems in Africa lie in the colonial era, when European powers reorganized farming systems around export crops designed to supply raw materials to global industries. Cotton, peanuts, coffee, and sugar were promoted across large parts of the continent. These crops were not primarily intended to feed local populations but to generate revenue for colonial economies. According to CNOP President Ibrahima Coulibaly, many of these structures remained in place after independence. “These export crops were not originally the choice of African farmers,” Coulibaly explains. “They were imposed during colonization to serve the needs of metropolitan economies.”

Following independence, many governments continued to promote export crops to generate foreign exchange while domestic food production often received far less policy support. Over time, this contributed to a widening divide between rural territories and urban centers. Agricultural revenues frequently flowed toward urban infrastructure and state institutions while rural communities received limited investment. “The villages and rural territories were largely abandoned,” Coulibaly notes.

Export Wealth, Local Hunger

Today the consequences of this model are visible across the continent.

AFSA points to a striking contradiction: African countries export large quantities of agricultural commodities while many communities struggle to access affordable food.

“This is not a coincidence,” Dr. Million Belay explains. “It is the result of decades of policy choices that prioritized export earnings over feeding people.” For many years, governments were encouraged to pursue an economic strategy built around comparative advantage: produce export commodities for global markets and import food for domestic consumption. In theory, export earnings would allow countries to purchase the food they needed. In practice, this approach has often created deep vulnerabilities.

When global prices fluctuate, currencies weaken, or supply chains are disrupted—as seen during the COVID-19 pandemic—countries that depend heavily on food imports can quickly face food security challenges. Meanwhile, agricultural land, labor, and investment are directed toward export crops rather than food production for local markets.

Who Captures the Value?

For farmer organizations and food sovereignty networks, one of the central questions shaping agricultural policy debates is who ultimately benefits from agricultural production. “In Africa, farmers rarely capture the value in agricultural chains,” Coulibaly says.Small-scale producers shoulder the risks of climate variability, fluctuating markets, and rising input costs. Yet much of the economic value created along agricultural supply chains is captured elsewhere. Processing, branding, transportation, and retail—where the largest profits are often made—are frequently controlled by powerful actors such as multinational corporations, large traders, and processors.

“Farmers are typically at the very bottom of the chain,” Dr. Million Belay explains. “Meanwhile they face rising costs for seeds, fertilizers, and pesticides, while the prices they receive are determined by markets they do not control.” This dynamic creates a system in which rural communities produce agricultural wealth but remain economically vulnerable.

The Labor Reality of Family Farming

In Mali, as in much of Africa, agriculture remains dominated by family farming systems. Smallholder households produce most of the country’s cereals, vegetables, fruits, and cotton. Yet farming often involves physically demanding labor and limited access to equipment or financial resources. “There is very little equipment,” Coulibaly explains. “Much of the work is still done manually.”

For many vegetable producers, irrigation is carried out through labor-intensive methods because pumping equipment remains inaccessible or unaffordable. These conditions are contributing to a growing generational challenge. Many young people are leaving agriculture in search of opportunities in cities or abroad. “Young people see agriculture as extremely hard work,” Coulibaly says. Without stronger investment in rural livelihoods, the future of small-scale farming remains uncertain.

Climate Pressures and Farmer Knowledge

At the same time, farmers across the Sahel face increasing climate pressures. Cycles of drought, flooding, and irregular rainfall have reshaped agricultural systems since the 1970s. Yet farmers have also developed strategies for adapting to these conditions. Many rely on agroecological practices that help restore soil fertility and conserve water. Crops such as millet and sorghum, which are well adapted to dry climates, remain central to many farming systems.

Across the Sahel, farmers have developed techniques such as zaï planting pits, which capture rainwater and compost in degraded soils; stone bunds, which slow runoff and prevent erosion; and farmer-managed natural regeneration, where naturally regrowing trees are protected and pruned to restore soil fertility. These practices, developed through generations of farmer experimentation, are increasingly recognized as powerful tools for climate resilience.

Agroecology and African Solutions

For AFSA, the future of African agriculture lies in solutions rooted in the continent’s ecological and cultural realities. Agroecology plays a central role in this vision. Rather than relying on monocultures, synthetic inputs, and proprietary technologies, agroecology emphasizes biodiversity, soil health, local knowledge, and farmer autonomy. AFSA also warns that the industrial model of agriculture promoted in many development programs can create new risks.

Dependence on imported seeds, fertilizers, and pesticides can increase financial vulnerability for farmers and undermine local seed systems that have sustained agriculture for generations. Industrial farming systems may also encourage land concentration and displace small-scale producers. “Africa’s landscapes are incredibly diverse,” Dr. Million Belay notes. “Farming systems that ignore that diversity can undermine long-term resilience.”

Building Farmer Power

Both CNOP and AFSA emphasize that transforming food systems requires more than technical solutions. It requires political change. “My conviction after thirty-five years in the farmer movement,” Coulibaly says, “is that farmers must also participate in political power.”

Across Africa, rural populations represent a large share of the electorate, yet policy decisions often remain concentrated among urban elites. Organizations like CNOP bring together national federations of farmer groups, while AFSA operates as a continental alliance connecting networks of farmers, pastoralists, fishers, consumers, and civil society organizations across Africa. These networks allow grassroots realities to inform policy debates at national, regional, and global levels. “When AFSA speaks,” Dr. Million Belay explains, “it is not just one organization speaking. It is the voice of hundreds of movements and millions of producers.”

Reclaiming the Future of Food Systems

For organizations like CNOP, which are part of a broader food sovereignty movement across Africa, the challenge ahead is not simply improving agricultural productivity. It is transforming the structures of power that shape global food systems. That includes strengthening territorial markets that connect farmers and consumers more directly, protecting farmer-managed seed systems, investing in agroecological research, and ensuring secure land rights for rural communities. Above all, it means recognizing the central role of farmers themselves. “If we want a world with less violence and fewer conflicts,” Coulibaly argues, “we must invest in rural youth and in agriculture.”

For farmer organizations and food sovereignty networks across Africa, reclaiming control over food systems is not only an agricultural goal. It is a pathway toward economic resilience, social stability, and a more just global food system.

About the Partnership

Food First has maintained a longstanding relationship with La Coordination Nationale des Organisations Paysannes du Mali (CNOP Mali), rooted in shared commitments to food sovereignty and farmer-led organizing. As part of this relationship, Food First has served as CNOP’s fiscal sponsor, supporting CNOP’s engagement with U.S.-based funders, including CS Fund, by providing financial and administrative infrastructure.

Through this work, Food First helps bridge gaps for grassroots organizations that may not have 501(c)(3) status but are leading critical efforts in their communities. We are committed to supporting partners around the world with the administrative and financial tools needed to access resources and sustain their work.

For more information about fiscal sponsorship or potential collaboration, please contact info@foodfirst.org.

References

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• McMichael, P. (2009). A food regime genealogy. Journal of Peasant Studies, 36(1), 139–169.
• Clapp, J. (2018). Mega-mergers on the menu: Corporate concentration and the politics of sustainability in the global food system. Global Environmental Politics, 18(1), 12–33.
• Reij, C., Tappan, G., & Smale, M. (2009). Agroenvironmental transformation in the Sahel: Another kind of “Green Revolution”. IFPRI Discussion Paper.