In November last year, The Trust for Community Outreach and Education (TCOE) joined more than 90 participants from Africa, Asia, Latin America, and Europe at the first IPA-Global Convening on Participatory Action Research (PAR) for Agroecology and Climate Advocacy. Held from November 17 to 21, this landmark gathering brought together social movements, farmer networks, researchers, and advocates to deepen collective learning and strengthen global solidarity for climate-resilient food systems.

Made possible through the vision and support of the Agroecology Fund, the convening created space for farmer-to-farmer exchanges, political dialogue, and collective strategy. It reaffirmed agroecology as not only a science and practice, but a movement and political project for justice.

Collective Learning and Advocacy

Grounded in popular education and participatory co-learning, the convening highlighted how community-generated data – from water management to indigenous seed care – provides evidence of climate resilience and food sovereignty. This evidence is not abstract; it is rooted in lived realities and strengthens advocacy for policies that reflect diverse territorial contexts rather than imposing one-size-fits-all models.

Sessions explored how PAR strengthens communities’ ability to speak for themselves in policy spaces, shifting narratives and influencing decision-makers. By documenting farmer-led practices and ecological innovations, movements can build legitimacy and challenge dominant industrial models of agriculture.

The convening also emphasised the role of women and youth as agents of change, ensuring that agroecology transitions are inclusive and intergenerational. Popular education processes were showcased as vital for building political consciousness alongside technical skills, reinforcing that agroecology is as much about power and justice as it is about farming methods.

South African Contribution

The South African Agroecology Action Collective, anchored by TCOE, presented its national initiative “Strengthening Climate Resilience by Scaling Up Agroecology.” This project maps grassroots agroecology nodes, facilitates farmer-to-farmer learning, pilots ecological input models, and advocates for a National Agroecology Strategy grounded in justice and participation.

The initiative aims to reach 400 producers through farmer-produced ecological inputs, while building provincial platforms that connect local networks into a national movement. For TCOE, the convening was a moment of alignment, showcasing farmer-led research, strengthening national networks, and forging deeper ties across the Global South.

The South African delegation also contributed to poster fairs and convergence sessions, sharing experiences of scaling agroecology and advancing climate advocacy. These exchanges reinforced that agroecology movements across Africa confront similar challenges – from land struggles to ecological input sovereignty – and can benefit from coordinated strategies.

Lessons from Brazil

Field visits to agrarian reform settlements and Brazil’s National School Florestan Fernandes (ENFF), founded by the Landless Workers’ Movement (MST), illustrated agroecology as both technical practice and political education. ENFF embodies agroecology as political praxis, combining training in ecological farming with political education that sustains long-term movement resilience.

Themes emerging from panels and exchanges included:

• Land reform as foundational to agroecological transformation
• Political education as essential to sustaining movements
• Critiques of global climate negotiations and carbon markets
• Defence of indigenous and traditional ecological knowledge against extractive “green transition” models

These reflections echoed global concerns about carbon markets and “just transition” narratives that risk detachment from local realities. Participants emphasised the need to challenge the power of industry within climate policy spaces and to elevate community-led alternatives.

Advocacy Through Research

At the heart of IPA-Global is the belief that PAR is not only a methodology but a political strategy. Evidence generated through participatory processes can shift narratives, attract media attention, and influence decision-makers. Coalition-building and sustained investment — financial, relational, and organisational — were identified as crucial for long-term impact.

The convening built on the momentum of IPA-Global grants launched in December 2024, which awarded 22 collaborative initiatives across four continents with up to USD 190,000 each. These projects align participatory research with advocacy to influence multi-level policies and advance agroecology as a climate solution. Funded activities include research, advocacy campaigns, policy dialogues, and learning exchanges among collaborative networks.

By the end of the grant period, initiatives will deliver research-informed policy recommendations, advocacy roadmaps, and creative communication outputs. Together, they will drive agroecology as a transformative solution for food systems and climate justice.

Strengthening South–South Solidarity

The SADC cohort of attendees identified shared opportunities in ecological input sovereignty, land struggles, youth organising, and climate advocacy. These exchanges reinforced the importance of coordinated strategies across Africa, highlighting that agroecology movements face interconnected challenges and can benefit from collective learning.

For TCOE, this deepening regional and global solidarity strengthens its resolve to advance a people-led agroecology transition in South Africa — one rooted in organising, community evidence, and collective action.

Looking Ahead

The Brazil convening reinforced that agroecology is a science, a practice, a movement, and a political project for justice. For TCOE and its allies, the lessons carried home are clear: organise, educate, research with communities, build alliances, advocate collectively, and nurture the imagination required for a just agroecological future.

The Agroecology Fund’s support not only made the gathering possible but also strengthened the global ecosystem of organisations striving toward structural transformation of food and climate systems. As agroecology gains recognition as a concrete response to the climate crisis, the convening demonstrated that solutions can and do emerge from the land, from communities, and from collective action.