YPARD Participates in the 7th PAFO General Assembly in Dakar, Advancing Inclusive and Sustainable Agricultural Governance

From 9 to 12 December 2025, YPARD actively participated in the 7th General Assembly of the Pan-African Farmers’ Organization (PAFO), held at the ONOMO Hotel in Dakar, Senegal. The Assembly brought together key farmer organizations from across the continent to deliberate on the future of agricultural governance and transformation in Africa.

The meeting convened PAFO’s regional member networks, including Network of Farmers' and Producers' Organizations of West Africa (ROPPA),Eastern Africa Farmers Federation (EAFF), the Regional Platform of Farmers' Organizations in Central Africa (PROPAC), the Southern African Confederation of Agricultural Unions (SACAU) and UMNAGRI (Maghreb and North Africa).

The primary objective of the General Assembly was to discuss strategic issues related to PAFO’s sustainable governance. Discussions emphasized the importance of participatory, inclusive, and transparent governance models, particularly those that prioritize youth and rural women as a foundation for achieving harmonious and resilient agricultural development across Africa.

Alongside the policy and governance discussions, an exhibition space enabled participating organizations to showcase their initiatives and engage directly with Assembly participants. YPARD and the Research Institute of Organic Agriculture (FiBL) represented partner institutions of the RAENS and collaborated with Knowledge Centre for Organic Agriculture in Africa(KCOA) through a dedicated exhibition highlighting agroecology-focused knowledge products.

As part of this exhibition, some infographics developed by YPARD were presented. These infographics translated existing agroecology knowledge products produced by RAENS partners into accessible, visually engaging formats. The exhibited materials included:

• Integrated     Pest Management (IPM): Simplifying Agroecological Approaches to Managing     Fall Armyworm, based on research from the Center for International     Forestry Research (CIFOR-ICRAF);
• Organic     Africa Training Manual, developed by FiBL to support capacity building     in organic and agroecological farming systems across Africa.

These materials sparked meaningful exchanges with participants and reinforced the importance of knowledge translation in supporting farmers, strengthening advocacy efforts, and advancing evidence-based agroecological transitions on the continent.

Building Stronger Partnerships for Africa’s Agricultural Transformation

YPARD also used this opportunity to advocate for strengthened collaboration among farmers’ organizations, research institutions, and development partners. The organization emphasized that strong synergies and partnerships are essential to accelerating Africa’s agricultural transformation and ensuring that youth, women, and smallholder farmers are at the center of sustainable food system development.

YPARD warmly thanks its exhibition partners- particularly  FiBL and KCOA, as well as all contributors who supported the success of the 7th PAFO General Assembly.

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