Agroecology is a scientific discipline, movement and practice that integrates ecology in agriculture with strong emphasis on diversification, food sovereignty, energy efficiency and sustainability.
[5] In February 2015, a global peasant alliance, La Via Campesina and Confederation of Peasants Organizations of Mali (CNOP)[usurped] held the International Forum on Agroecology in Sélingué, south Mali, aiming to reinforce the shared vision of agroecology and synergy of a variety of sectors including farmers, workers, indigenous peoples, nomads, fisherfolk, consumers, the urban poor, etc.
[6] In April 2018, 8 million euros was budgeted for the Agro-ecological Transition Support Project in West Africa (AETSP) coordinated by Regional Agency for Agriculture and Food (ARAA) of ECOWAS, covering Côte d'Ivoire, Burkina Faso, Mali, Senegal and Togo for 4 years.
In January 2020, the alliance hosted a meeting in Dakar to finalize the extensive action plan to actualize agroecology in West Africa, where institutions such as FAO, IFAD, and DG DEVCO of the European Commission and donor organizations from Germany and France also participated actively.
Agroecologists argue that such complex and diversifying farming systems help small farmers to survive harsh environments and produce what is necessary for subsistence with minimum usage of external inputs.
[6] La Via Campesina and other agroecological organizations claim that free trade policies and industrialized agricultural system with heavy use of chemicals and imported inputs destroys the environment, diminish resources, and disturb the health and wellbeing of small farmers that are large portion of the West African population as well as the consumers.
The thousands of farmers in Yatenga region of Burkina Faso refined this technique and revived their land, which resulted in increasing the yields of cereal harvest per hector.
[14] The purpose of the organization is the improvement of rural family's working conditions and the protection and advocacy of small farms which are the main structure of agricultural production in West Africa.
The purpose of JAFOWA is to back up farmers organizations through grants, sharing of knowledge, aiding in capacity development, proposes local and regional policies, and encourages ecological solutions and leadership by women and youth.