- Date: October 22nd, 2025
- Time: 3:00 – 5:00 PM, Brussels time (UTC+2)
- Format: Online Webinar (with simultaneous interpretation in English, French, and Portuguese)
- Join the webinar here
Why Farmer-Led Research Matters
Agroecological transformation is key to building sustainable, resilient food systems worldwide. Farmers are not just beneficiaries of research; they are innovators, knowledge holders, and change agents. The Farmers Organisations Leading Research & Innovation (FO-RI) program, funded by the European Union (EU) and the Organization of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS), puts farmers and their organizations at the center of research and innovation.
Since 2022, FO-RI has supported 13 action-research projects across 17 countries, strengthening the capacities of farmer organizations (FOs) to lead participatory research approaches. This work connects local knowledge with scientific expertise and fosters partnerships that drive agroecological transitions in production, processing, and marketing
A Webinar Series
To deepen this work, AgriCord, and the Southern African Confederation of Agricultural Unions (SACAU), launched a serie of four webinars.The first session, explored the foundations of farmer-led and farmer-centric research and discuss related key concepts.
This second webinar, "Competencies and Capacities in farmer led research on agroecology", will explore the evolving competencies and capacities of farmers and their organizations in leading research and innovation, what they look like in practice, what lessons have emerged, and how partnerships among farmers’ organizations, researchers, and agri-agencies can be strengthened to scale up farmer-led research for agroecology.
This webinar is the second in a series of four. The first one set the basis, focusing on the clarification of key concepts related to farmer led research.
Objectives of the Webinar
The event aims to:
- Present and discuss the key findings from the FORI mid-term survey on capacities and competencies in farmer-led research.
- Share experiences from FORI, SACAU, and EFAO on how farmer-led research contributes to building organizational and technical capacities.
- Reflect on the evolving roles of farmers, researchers, agri-agencies, and farmers’ organizations in co-creation and innovation processes.
Speakers
- Ishmael Sunga, CEO,Southern African Confederation of Agricultural Unions (SACAU)
- Katja Vuori, CEO, AgriCord
- Damian Sulumo, Mviwaarusha
- Dr. Patrice Ndimanya, Université du Burundi - Faculté des Sciences Economiques et Administratives
- Dr. Sarah Larsen, Research & Small Grains Program Director, Ecological Farmers Association of Ontario (EFAO)
Be part of the conversation and help shape the future of farmer-led research for agroecological transformation.
