Signed at the Africa Food Systems Forum 2026 in Kigali, the five-year agreement establishes a framework for closer collaboration between farmers’ organisations and researchers, from identifying priorities to testing and scaling science-based solutions.

On 1 September 2026, during the Africa Food Systems Forum (AFS Forum) 2026 in Kigali, Rwanda, the World Farmers’ Organisation (WFO) and the Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT signed a Memorandum of Understanding establishing a framework for closer cooperation. The agreement was signed by WFO Secretary General Dr Andrea Porro and Alliance Director General Juan Lucas Restrepo Ibiza.

The signing took place during the Africa regional launch of the Alliance Strategy 2026–2030, “Resilient Futures: Urgent Science for Food and Land Systems Transformation.” The Strategy outlines how science, partnerships, innovation and investment can contribute to more resilient, inclusive and sustainable food and land systems.

During the launch, Dr Porro joined the panel discussion “From Science to Investment: Scaling Resilient Food Systems in Africa.” He highlighted the need to close the gap between farmers and the research sector by involving farmers’ organisations in identifying priorities and helping shape solutions that respond to challenges on the ground.

Building on several years of cooperation, the five-year agreement brings together the Alliance’s research and innovation capacities and WFO’s global network of more than 80 farmers’ organisations and agricultural cooperatives. This connection aims to make agricultural research more responsive to farmers’ knowledge, priorities and practical experience.

“Farmers must be at the heart of agricultural research, not only as end users, but as partners who help identify priorities and shape solutions. This Memorandum of Understanding creates a framework for building a stronger bridge between science and farmers’ realities, helping ensure that research responds to the challenges farmers face and translates into practical, accessible solutions on the ground,” said Dr Porro.

Through the partnership, WFO and the Alliance will explore opportunities to cooperate on policy and advocacy, capacity strengthening, and farmer-centred research and innovation. Their collaboration may bring together farmers’ organisations, researchers, CGIAR centres, research programmes, start-ups and other innovation actors to co-create, test and scale solutions in areas including agrobiodiversity, regenerative agriculture, climate resilience, digital inclusion and sustainable rural development.

The agreement also emphasises the participation of women and young farmers, alongside efforts to improve farmers’ access to innovation, climate and biodiversity finance, and other mechanisms that can support sustainable agricultural transformation.

” We cannot transform food systems without transforming the way we connect research with the people who feed the world. At the Alliance, we believe science has the greatest impact when it is shaped by the realities, knowledge and priorities of farmers. Working with WFO gives us an important opportunity to strengthen that connection, bringing farmers’ experience to the centre of research and innovation, and turning science into solutions that are relevant, actionable and capable of delivering real impact on the ground,” said Alliance Director General Juan Lucas Restrepo Ibiza.

The signing marks a new step towards farmer-centred agricultural research and innovation. Over the next five years, WFO and the Alliance will use the new framework to identify shared priorities and develop practical opportunities for collaboration between farmers’ organisations and researchers, supporting solutions that are grounded in farmers’ realities and adaptable to different agricultural contexts.

Cover photo: ©Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT