How to measure agroecology on a farm smaller than two hectares + test

Contents

• Small fields, 70% of the food
• What agroecology means
• From concept to farm-level decisions
• Water, energy and nutrients in a loop
• Living labs in three countries
• A network matters as much as technology
• What comes next: local innovation hubs
• In short
• Agroecology in practice — test yourself (test)

⇑Small fields, 70% of the food

The scale is striking. According to a CORDIS article published in September 2026, smallholder farmers in East Africa cultivate plots smaller than two hectares, but together they produce up to 70% of their country’s food. What happens on these small farms therefore matters for entire national food systems.

The PrAEctiCe project (Potentials of Agroecological practices in east Africa with a focus on Circular water-energy-nutrient systems) was designed with exactly these farmers in mind. It is coordinated by Karlsruhe University of Applied Sciences in Germany.

⇑What agroecology means

The key word of the project is agroecology. Jan Hoinkis, the researcher at Karlsruhe University of Applied Sciences who coordinates the group behind PrAEctiCe, offers a clear definition: “Agroecology means productive, sustainable, resilient and environmentally safe farming and food systems that combine indigenous knowledge with cutting-edge science.”

The definition sounds convincing, but it leaves an obvious question open. How does a farmer, or the person advising that farmer, know whether a particular change on a particular plot actually brings the farm closer to that ideal?

⇑From concept to farm-level decisions

This is where the project comes in. “Our goal is to move agroecology from a broad concept towards an operational, evidence-based decision framework that can support real farm-level choices,” Hoinkis explains.

The result is an actionable decision support tool built for agricultural advisors. Instead of general principles, it offers practical, measurable metrics that can guide what is done on the farm.

⇑Water, energy and nutrients in a loop

The framework puts special emphasis on circular systems in diversified farms that combine crops, livestock and aquatic production. It includes an integrated indicator for assessing farming approaches and an impact quantification tool. Together they look at:

• the synergistic reuse of water, energy and nutrients within the farm,
• environmental impacts,
• resource efficiency,
• financial viability.

According to Hoinkis, this focus is what sets the work apart: “This is unique as these are areas that had not been sufficiently captured in existing agroecology indicator frameworks.”

⇑Living labs in three countries

The tools did not stay on paper. They were piloted in three East African countries through living labs. Each lab worked in its own way:

• Kenya – ten training sessions reached more than 800 farmers in fisheries management and vegetable production; small agro-companies later took up this training as well.
• Uganda – in Kajjansi, more than 250 stakeholders took part in a train-the-trainer programme on aquaponic food production, which was then replicated at the local training facility.
• Tanzania – the living lab trained 5,000 people in poultry, fish and crop farming systems.

The figures describe different groups – farmers in Kenya, stakeholders in Uganda, people in general in Tanzania – so they show the reach of each lab rather than a direct comparison.

⇑A network matters as much as technology

One of the less visible results of PrAEctiCe is the community built around it. The project brought together researchers, farmers, advisors, civil society actors, small and medium-sized enterprises and public stakeholders from across Europe and Africa.

Hoinkis sees this as a result in its own right: “This network itself is an important outcome because the agroecological transition requires more than technical solutions – it requires trust, local knowledge, training and institutional uptake too.”

⇑What comes next: local innovation hubs

The work continues after the pilot phase. The researchers are now developing the tools further, with a view to scaling them up, refining them and bringing them to market. The living labs are meant to grow into local innovation hubs.

“I’m confident that we will continue to expand on PrAEctiCe’s legacy of making the agroecological transition more measurable, practical and locally grounded for East African smallholder farming,” says Hoinkis.

⇑In short

Farmers with less than two hectares produce up to 70% of the food in their East African countries. PrAEctiCe turned the broad idea of agroecology into a decision support tool for advisors that measures the reuse of water, energy and nutrients, environmental impact, resource efficiency and financial viability. The tools were tested in living labs in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania, and the network of people behind them turned out to be just as important as the technology.

⇑Agroecology in practice — test yourself (test)