NATAE Milestone 6 : Report of the regional conference on agroecology: science and policy

Milestone 6 - D6.1 - Working Package 6. Under the high patronage of the Minister of Environment of Tunisia, the Sahara and Sahel Observatory (OSS), in partnership with the Mediterranean Agronomic Institute of Montpellier (CIHEAM-IAMM), organized, from January 29 to 31, 2025 in Tunis, a high-level regional conference entitled "Agroecology: Science and Policy". This event brought together more than 150 participants in person and nearly 200 registered online, testifying to the growing mobilization of regional actors around the crucial issues related to agroecology. The central objective of this first policy conference of the NATAE project is to accelerate the agroecological transition for resilient food systems in North Africa by promoting agroecology as a strategic lever in the face of the environmental and food challenges of the region. North Africa faces increasingly pressing challenges, including land degradation, water scarcity and the impacts of climate change, all of which threaten food security and the sustainability of agricultural systems. In this context, agroecology presents itself as a viable alternative, combining traditional knowledge and scientific advances to establish resilient agricultural practices, reduce the environmental footprint and preserve natural resources. This conference was a multi-stakeholder platform for strategic exchange where policy makers, researchers and teachers, experts, students, farmers, representatives of international organizations and civil society actors debated the integration of agroecological principles into public policies and agricultural practices in the region. The event thus made it possible to identify concrete courses of action and to strengthen the dynamics of cooperation in favor of an agroecological transition adapted to local realities.