Food & Water

Let us call the bluff of industrial agriculture.

The impacts of a strengthening El Niño and the war in Iran highlight in the Greater Horn of Africa, an area already beset by prolonged crisis and conflict, factors that are combining with others to potentially create a major, multicountry polycrisis.

Across discussions on policy, technology, supply chains, and community partnerships at a food waste summit earlier this year, a different pattern emerged: food waste rarely appeared as an isolated issue. Instead, it surfaced as a signal of deeper system failures.

While Europe has banned hazardous pesticides, the same chemicals are exported to African countries such as Uganda, where farmers often apply them with minimal protection and without legal recourse. ESAFF Uganda and its partners are challenging the EU and demanding change.

Understanding how food is produced can help consumers make choices that support healthier soil, water, pollinators, and communities.

Industrial agriculture relies on more than tractors and diesel. From synthetic fertilizers to depleted soils, the modern food system is deeply tied to fossil fuels, leaving farmers, ecosystems and food security increasingly vulnerable. Amid the polycrisis, we must rebuild food systems by valuing the natural world and supporting human communities.