PELUM Network @30: Celebrating Three Decades of Regional Agroecology & Farmer-Led Leadership

PELUM Network @30: Celebrating Three Decades of Regional Agroecology & Farmer-Led Leadership

/by

This year marks a significant milestone for the agroecology movement across Southern and Eastern Africa: the PELUM Network celebrates 30 years of transformative, people-led work. Founded first in Zimbabwe in October 1995, PELUM (Participatory Ecological Land Use Management) emerged as a regional association connecting smallholder farmer organisations committed to agroecology, indigenous knowledge, and ecological restoration.

At Regeneration International, we have enjoyed PELUM networks contributions to our platforms such as The Peoples’ Food Summit. I had the honor of attending the PELUM 30th Anniversary celebrations during the PELUM AGM, 2025 convening, a moment that reaffirmed the strength of this movement and the solidarity that has carried it for three decades.

A Network Rooted in Country Chapters and Local Knowledge

PELUM’s strength lies in its vibrant network of country chapters across Southern and Eastern Africa. These chapters anchor the work in community realities, enabling learning, shared innovation, and a unified regional voice. Through them:

  • Knowledge flows from farmer to farmer, and across borders
  • Advocacy is grounded in lived experience
  • Regional solidarity grows from shared struggles and shared victories

This interconnected approach has been key to sustaining the movement for 30 years.

Solutions From the Door-step

PELUM has always championed a simple truth: local communities hold the solutions to regenerating food systems. Amid growing corporate influence over food systems, PELUM has defended smallholder farmers through:

  • Farmer-led research and documentation
  • Indigenous seed protection and exchange
  • Capacity development and training
  • Farmer-to-farmer learning platforms
  • Landscape restoration
  • Advocacy rooted in grassroots realities

These efforts show that transformation begins where people live and work.

The Power of Collective Action, in a narrowing funding landscape

As a founder of a grassroots regenerative organisation, I can attest to the power of collective action, and joint programs. The current funding landscape is very challenging for individual grassroots, making national networks effective platforms for co-funded actions.  The engagement with PELUM through iGugu Trust has affirmed this deeply.  Then grassroots can focus on contributions to knowledge and fundraising to take care of their teams.  We continue to need more regenerative funders who can provide small to medium open grants for the care of grassroots human teams. Within the network, our community-based efforts gain a stronger voice, supported by peer learning and regional solidarity. Through PELUM, partners continue to experience:

  • Amplified farmer experiences and knowledge
  • Protection of seed and food sovereignty
  • Cross-country solidarity through agroecological training
  • Stronger farmer-led advocacy influencing policymakers
  • Greater visibility of grassroots practices

Networks like PELUM help organisations connect local realities to regional agendas, ensuring that smallholder farmers remain central to shaping Africa’s food systems.

 

Congratulations, and Onward PELUM Network!

Thirty years on, PELUM’s model, community-led practice supported by strong country chapters, remains essential to the future of African food systems. From the doorstep to the landscape, PELUM continues to show how interconnected, organised action can transform our relationship with land, seed, and food while providing a platform for policy influence.

Here’s to the next three decades of agroecology, solidarity, and farmer-led change.