WFO Secretary General Andrea Porro delivered a keynote address at the 2nd China–Africa Agri–Tech and Industrial Cooperation Forum in Nairobi, calling for agricultural cooperation that is farmer-led, farmer-informed, and farmer-owned.

On 9 June 2026, World Farmers’ Organisation (WFO) Secretary General Andrea Porro delivered a keynote address at the China–Africa Agri–Tech and Industrial Cooperation Forum, held in Nairobi, Kenya.

Against the backdrop of the 70th anniversary of China–Africa diplomatic relations, the Forum brought together policymakers, research institutions, private sector actors, and farmer organisations to advance agricultural innovation and strengthen South-South cooperation. Its format that combines policy dialogue with technology transfer, investment matchmaking, and capacity building is an integrated model that WFO a functional approach to foster collaboration towards sustainable agricultural development.

Speaking on behalf of WFO and its member organisations, representing hundreds of millions of family farmers worldwide, the Secretary General underscored that the effectiveness of any agricultural cooperation initiative has to ultimately be measured by its impact at the farm level. “The challenge is not the absence of solutions,” he said, “but rather sits in the gap between innovation and adoption at the farm level.”

The Secretary General welcomed the Forum’s focus on livestock development, soil health, and agricultural mechanization, priorities that reflect the daily realities of smallholder and large-scale producers across Africa and Asia. Echoing the remarks of Chinese Ambassador to Kenya Guo Haiyan, who described agricultural modernisation as a cornerstone of China–Africa cooperation, the Secretary General noted that “the Ambassador’s words on modernization are truer than ever, and it will succeed if farmer organisations are meaningfully involved.” Closing the gap between innovation and farm-level adoption, he emphasised, demands that farmer organisations be genuine partners in the design and delivery of cooperation programmes, not merely beneficiaries.

Reaffirming WFO’s core principles of being farmer-driven, science-based, and solutions-oriented, the Secretary General called for China–Africa agricultural cooperation to be “farmer-led, farmer-informed, and farmer-owned,“ a message that WFO consistently brings to multilateral arenas, including FAO, IFAD, the WTO, and the UNFCCC.

The keynote was delivered during the 2026 WFO Annual Meeting, co-hosted with WFO member the Kenya National Farmers’ Federation and held in Nairobi from 8 to 11 June, placing farmers visibly at the centre of international agricultural dialogue during one of the most significant weeks for the sector in 2026.

The 2nd China–Africa Agri–Tech and Industrial Cooperation Forum was organised by the Beijing Jingwa Agricultural Science and Technology Innovation Center, in partnership with the Academy of Global Food Economics and Policy at China Agricultural University, the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa, the Finance Center for South-South Cooperation, and the International Livestock Research Institute. The Forum brought together representatives from AGRA, WFO, the World Bank, the African Union, IFAD, ILRI, and Chinese mechanisation companies.

Photo cover by AGRA – Sustainably Growing Africa’s Food Systems (@AGRA_Africa)