This new project, led by ASRA and supported by the McKnight Foundation's Global Collaboration for Resilient Food Systems (CRFS) program, explores how agroecology can reduce systemic risks to food systems and drive transformation. We're working across three regions in Africa, spanning four countries: Burkina Faso, Malawi, and Kenya/Uganda border.
The project will unfold in three interconnected phases: first, assessing systemic risks to food systems through desk research and expert elicitation; second, identifying effective agroecological and agroecology-aligned responses while developing detailed case studies; and finally, applying ASRA's systemic risk assessment approaches, as embodied in the STEER (Systemic Tool to Explore and Evaluate Risk) framework, in up to three regions. All on-the-ground activities will be carried out by local in-country actors during Q2 2026.
The project has five core objectives:
- To foster a better understanding of systemic risks as they relate to food systems and working landscapes, inclusive of multiple objectives.
- To contribute to the development of diverse data and evidence as it relates to current and desired futures of agroecological food systems.
- To exchange knowledge and cross-disciplinary insights, contributing to innovative methodologies and open-source tools.
- To empower diverse food system actors with early options and response pathways, enabling them to build resilience and make informed choices to respond.
- To influence key stakeholders ensuring whole-of-society approaches to navigate systemic risk.
Risk management and analysis are well-established practices when applied to single issues and threats. However, significant gaps remain in understanding and acting on systemic risk. This project advances ASRA's mission by demonstrating how systemic risk assessment and response can move beyond siloed approaches to center the interconnectedness of ecological, social, and economic systems. By focusing on agroecology—a science, a set of practices and a social movement that applies ecological principles, amongst others, to food systems—and working with local communities and stakeholders across four countries, the project will offer deeper insight into how risks spread through food systems while also providing evidence-based actions that other regions can use to design responses that support long-term stability, resilience, and multispecies flourishing.
For questions or enquiries about this project, contact Sarah Hendel-Blackford shendelblackford@asranetwork.org
