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Good morning distinguished guests, partners, farmers, youth leaders, and friends of AFSA.

Today, as Chairman of the Board of the Alliance for Food Sovereignty in Africa (AFSA), I am honored to launch our new campaign: “Protect Our Land, Restore Our Soil.”

Land is more than a resource. It is our heritage, our identity, and our future. Across Africa, our soils feed our families, sustain our economies, and connect generations. Yet today, land degradation, extractive practices, climate change, and land grabbing threaten the very foundation of our food systems.

When soil is degraded, food becomes scarce. When land is taken or misused, communities lose dignity and security. Protecting our land is not optional — it is essential.

This campaign is a call to action. We call on governments to strengthen land rights and protect smallholder farmers.

We call on communities to embrace agroecology and regenerative practices that rebuild soil fertility.

We call on young people to see agriculture not as a last resort, but as a powerful pathway to innovation and resilience.

And we call on all partners to invest in systems that nourish both people and the planet.

Healthy soil is living soil. It holds water during droughts, stores carbon, supports biodiversity, and produces nutritious food. When we restore our soil, we restore hope.

At AFSA, we believe that Africa’s future lies in food sovereignty — in empowering communities to control their land, seeds, and knowledge. This campaign strengthens that commitment.

Let this be more than a launch. Let it be a movement.

A movement to protect what sustains us.

A movement to restore what has been depleted.

A movement to ensure that future generations inherit land that is richer, stronger, and more abundant than we found it.

Together, we protect our land.

Together, we restore our soil.

Together, we secure Africa’s future.