What Does Agroecology Mean in Biowatch South Africa's Work?

Updated

Biowatch South Africa treats agroecology as both a farming approach and a political position: it is the practical alternative to the industrialised food system that the organisation openly challenges. On its own description, Biowatch exists to "challenge the industrialised food system to ensure biodiversity, food sovereignty and social justice," and it pursues this through advocacy and research and by "promoting agroecology." So agroecology is not a side project for Biowatch — it is the organising idea that connects its research, its advocacy, and its work with smallholder farmers.

The core idea

Agroecology, as Biowatch frames it, starts from the experience of the people who actually grow food. The organisation states that its "research and advocacy work is grounded in the direct experience of the communities in which we work," and that it supports smallholder farmers "on the ground" who are "building strong evidence of the benefits of agroecology."

That grounding matters. Agroecology is presented not as a technology package handed down to farmers, but as knowledge and practice that emerge from farming communities and are then documented, defended, and promoted. The phrase "Promoting agroecology" sits alongside "Advocacy and research" as one of Biowatch's main work areas, which signals the two halves of the approach: practical support for farmers, and policy-level argument.

What it is contrasted against

Biowatch's language is explicitly oppositional. The industrialised food system is the thing being challenged, and agroecology is the alternative being advanced. The three goals attached to that challenge — biodiversity, food sovereignty, and social justice — indicate what the industrialised system is seen to undermine:

  • Biodiversity — diverse seed and farming systems rather than uniformity.
  • Food sovereignty — communities' control over their own food and how it is produced.
  • Social justice — fair outcomes for the smallholder farmers doing the work.

This is why the Seed and Knowledge Initiative (SKI) appears as a distinct programme area: seed and knowledge are where biodiversity, farmer control, and agroecological practice meet.

How it shows up in practice

Biowatch's public work illustrates what agroecology means in concrete terms rather than as a slogan:

  • Smallholder farmers as evidence-builders. The organisation highlights farmers such as Bhekisiwe Gumede, "an agroecology smallholder farmer in Tshaneni, northern KwaZulu-Natal," as part of demonstrating the benefits of agroecology on the ground.
  • School food and nutrition. A Biowatch research paper examines "Smallholder farmers, school food gardens and South Africa's National School Nutrition Programme," and a webinar explored "opportunities for agroecology in South Africa's school nutrition programme," including national policy and roll-out in KwaZulu-Natal. This connects agroecology to public food systems, not just individual farms.
  • Mapping the movement. As part of the Agroecology Action Collective (AEAC), Biowatch worked with partners in 2025 and early 2026 on a survey of agroecology initiatives in South Africa — a pilot to get an initial view of initiatives within the AEAC networks.
  • Public events. The opening of Biowatch's "SIBUYISELA ULWAZI Food and Seed Festival" shows the community-facing side of the work.

If you want to follow or use this

Biowatch publishes research papers, advocacy material, and resources through its Publications & Documents section, and runs a Good Food Podcast. The site also offers a way to "Subscribe to our news and updates" and invites visitors to "Join the transition to agroecology." If your interest is academic, policy-related, or practical farming, the publications and the AEAC mapping work are the most direct entry points; if you want ongoing updates, the subscription and podcast are the lighter-weight options.