Farmers’ perspectives of how farmer research networks shape behaviour and contribute to agroecological systems change in Eastern and Southern Africa

Introduction Farmer Research Networks (FRNs) are collaborative platforms that bring together diverse stakeholders to co-create knowledge and support agroecological innovation. While FRNs are increasingly recognised for enabling farmers to embrace sustainable practices and strengthen resilience, limited evidence exists on how they influence farmer behaviour and contribute to agroecological systems change. Methods This study draws on a single round of qualitative fieldwork conducted in 2024 with nine FRNs that had been operating since 2015 in Kenya, Malawi, and Uganda, comprising 99 interviews and focus group discussions with 182 farmers, researchers and extension or NGO staff, to examine how engagement in these FRNs shapes farmers’ attitudes, perceptions, intentions, and practices. The Theory of Planned Behaviour, the Model of Justified Behaviour, and the FAO’s 10 elements of agroecology were used as analytical lenses. Results The findings indicate that participants experience FRNs as dynamic learning ecosystems. Farmers linked their involvement in FRNs to stronger positive attitudes toward agroecology, enhanced perceived behavioural control through knowledge and skills development, and evolving subjective norms shaped by collective learning and peer influence. Behavioural intentions were reinforced by ecological awareness, emotional engagement, and future-oriented aspirations. Participants associated their engagement with progress across multiple agroecological dimensions, including soil fertility, system diversity, resilience, social cohesion, and economic agency. These outcomes were driven by participatory experimentation, knowledge co-creation, and relational processes such as trust, solidarity, and inclusive decision-making. However, the findings also reveal important limitations in what FRNs can address. Persistent constraints, including labour intensity, limited access to inputs and locally adapted seed, gender and youth inequalities, weak enforcement of community rules, tensions between short-term livelihood needs and long-term ecological goals, entrenched cultural norms and institutional gaps, often lie beyond the direct influence of FRNs. Discussion Overall, the study demonstrates that agroecological transitions are not linear processes of technology adoption, but socially embedded and contested transformations shaped by multiple factors. While FRNs play a critical role, sustaining and scaling these transitions requires complementary investments beyond the scope of the FRNs.