Bringing Agroecology into Biodiversity Policy: Lessons from NATAE at CBD COP17

How can agroecology help safeguard biodiversity and build more resilient food systems across North Africa?

As part of Food and Agriculture Day at CBD COP17, the Sahara and Sahel Observatory (OSS) is contributing to discussions by sharing lessons from the NATAE project and recommendations from its two conferences.

These findings highlight the need to embed agroecology more firmly in public policy, recognise the value of local knowledge, and strengthen ties between research, farming practices and policymaking. They also offer practical insights into how agriculture and food systems can support the implementation of the Global Biodiversity Framework.

Building on these conferences, OSS is sharing these recommendations with national delegations, scientists and international partners, opening a dialogue on how they can be put into practice across different national and regional contexts.

This engagement reflects OSS’s role as a regional technical and scientific cooperation support centre under the Convention on Biological Diversity: to promote knowledge exchange and help countries turn that knowledge into action.