Regional stakeholders meet in Nairobi to boost cross-border trade in agroecological products
The meeting highlighted the potential benefits of promoting agroecological produce across EAC member states, with the overarching goal of increasing visibility for such products while strengthening food security, food sovereignty, and environmentally sustainable farming practices
NAIROBI, May 9, 2025 – Stakeholders including cross-border traders, civil society organisations, and policymakers from the East African Community [EAC] and COMESA convened in Nairobi, Kenya recently, for a two-day meeting focused on enhancing trade in agroecological products and tackling the persistent barriers that prevent small-scale traders from fully engaging in the sector.
The meeting highlighted the potential benefits of promoting agroecological produce across EAC member states, with the overarching goal of increasing visibility for such products while strengthening food security, food sovereignty, and environmentally sustainable farming practices.
Jeanne Abayera, a cross-border trader from Rwanda, expressed her gratitude for the insights gained during the meeting, stating that it would enable traders like her to better recognise and manage agroecological products.
“Before this meeting, I didn’t have enough information, and many others didn’t either. The key takeaway for me is that this knowledge will add value to our businesses,” she said.
“We didn’t fully understand what agroecological products were or their significance. This new understanding will help us distinguish genuinely natural products from conventional ones and assign them appropriate value. In the past, we often mixed them or sold them without any clarity,” she added.
She continued, “By focusing on cross-border trade, we’re opening doors for both seasoned and emerging traders. It’s a chance to build stronger collaboration across EAC countries—from tracing the origin of products to enhancing coordination between farmers, traders, and government bodies. This could offer a sustainable solution to hunger, support seed preservation, and promote broader economic development.”
However, participants acknowledged the need for more awareness campaigns and training programmes to enable both traders and farmers to properly identify, value, and label agroecological products, similar to labelling practices in supermarkets.
The stakeholders stressed that favourable policies will be critical in accelerating progress. Key areas include tax reform, food safety standards, trade documentation, and transport security. Additionally, they proposed reviewing language policies in trade to help overcome communication barriers.
Bridget Mugambe Nabikolo, Programmes Coordinator at the Alliance for Food Sovereignty in Africa [AFSA], based in Kampala, elaborated on the wider aims of the meeting and the potential gains for participating countries.
“Our broader vision is to achieve food sovereignty through a transition to agroecology. Agroecology is not just about producing food—it’s about producing healthy food while preserving soil health, animal welfare, and the wellbeing of the people who grow and consume it. It is a science, a practice, and a movement,” she explained.
“We launched this study on cross-border trade in agroecological produce to assess whether such products are currently being traded, where the trade is taking place, and what opportunities and challenges exist. Agriculture is not only about feeding people—it’s about sustaining livelihoods,” she added.
Speaking on the lack of existing research, she said: “There was no study specifically addressing agroecological products in cross-border trade. That’s why we undertook this research—to fill a critical gap and ensure future initiatives are grounded in evidence.”
She underlined the importance of validating the findings: “This is a relatively new field. We brought together producers, traders, customs officials, policymakers, and civil society representatives to verify the data, share insights, and ask important questions. We didn’t want to build a programme on an untested foundation.”
“We are often asked whether agroecology is about keeping farmers in backward or traditional systems. The answer is no. Agroecology makes business sense, and by identifying where it’s working, we can prove its value.”
She added that the study would serve as the foundation for AFSA’s next two-year project, which aims to directly engage traders, policymakers, and transporters to identify key opportunities—from storage hubs to dedicated markets for agroecological produce.
Chaka Uzondu, a Tanzanian researcher specialising in food systems, commented on the relevance of the study in light of the volume of cross-border trade across the EAC.
“Cross-border trade is vital for all countries, particularly for border communities. The EAC includes eight countries, and trade fosters interaction, income generation, and helps tackle youth unemployment,” he said. “We are seeing more young people entering the trading space—it creates jobs and supports livelihoods.”
He added, “We now need to understand what’s happening in this space. Africa is focused on promoting agriculture as the backbone of its food systems—not just to produce food, but to ensure equitable distribution and that the benefits of agriculture reach everyone involved.”
“People often underestimate agriculture, seeing it as small-scale or subsistence-based. But this study proves it’s much more than that. Farmers engaged in agroecology aren’t just feeding themselves—they’re contributing meaningfully to trade and national food systems.”
The Nairobi meeting was recognised by attendees as a significant milestone in efforts to enhance the trade of organic and natural food products, while also driving economic development among EAC member states—where the majority of citizens still rely on subsistence agriculture for their livelihoods.
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