In this episode of Oh Crop!, host Kat Morgan sits down with Andreia Fausto, Head of Climate Smart Food Systems at the World Food Programme in Somalia, broadcasting from Mogadishu.

The conversation reveals fascinating innovations emerging across Somalia's diverse ecological zones: agroecological practices that communities "already had before," solar-powered irrigation systems, and cooperatives where women make key business decisions. Andreia shares her observations from extensive field time, noting that "communities are not waiting—they are really trying to design their own futures by themselves."

But questions remain about sustainability, scale, and long-term impact. As Andreia puts it: "Food security isn't just about the calories. It's about who grows the food, how it's produced, who controls the system." This episode offers a practitioner's perspective on the complex realities of working at the intersection of humanitarian response and community-led development.

Learn more:

• Somalia | World Food Programme

• Somalia Annual Country Report 2024

  - Read about Farm2Go

  
  

In this timely episode of Oh Crop!, host Kat Morgan sits down with Catherine Bertini, the 2003 World Food Prize Laureate and former UN World Food Program Executive Director, to discuss the unprecedented crisis facing global food aid. With a staggering $16.9 billion funding gap threatening 123 million vulnerable people, Catherine shares her bold vision for completely reimagining how the world addresses hunger. Drawing from her 20+ years of experience and her "eureka moment" about women's central role in food security, she argues it's time to start from scratch and build a system fit for 2025—not 1945. This conversation offers both sobering realities and inspiring possibilities for anyone who cares about ending hunger. As Catherine powerfully reminds us: when your issue becomes prominent, pounce!

Visit CatherineBertini.com

Read Reimagining Global Governance for Food Security

Read Leading Change for UN Organizations

In this episode, Dr. Million Belay discusses research he coordinated across Africa examining agricultural approaches. "In 2013, we asked ourselves, does agroecology work for Africa?" he explains, describing how they gathered and synthesized case studies from numerous countries. Their findings revealed that ecological farming practices consistently improved both productivity and farmer income while supporting environmental health.

Million's declaration that "food is not a commodity" cuts to the heart of the matter. "Food is culturally appropriate. Farmers control their own economy," he insists. This vision—emerging from social movements like La Via Campesina—represents a fundamentally different relationship with food systems.

Through our conversation, Million reveals how African farmers are developing agroecological innovations that honor Traditional Ecological Knowledge while building climate resilience, demonstrating how community-controlled agriculture offers the true path to food sovereignty.

Million Belay is a member of the IPES-Food panel; co-founder and general coordinator of the Alliance for Food Sovereignty in Africa (AFSA) – a network of farmers’ organizations, NGO networks, consumer movements and small-scale producers advocating for agroecology, food sovereignty, and the rights of small-scale food producers in Africa; and he is an expert on forestry conservation, indigenous livelihoods and food and seed sovereignty.

• About Alliance for Food Sovereignty in Africa
• Case Studies of Agroecology
• La Via Campesina