What happens when environmental sustainability and economic development pull in different directions, and what if they don’t have to? 

In this Afri-CAN episode, we sit down with Aziliz Le Rouzo, Researcher at the Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI) leading the Amplifying Stories of Agroecology Practices and Principles (ASAPP) project, and Nhilce Esquivel, Research Fellow and Climate Resilience Lead in SEI’s Sanitation and Health team. Together, they unpack the hard questions: who should be cutting emissions, who is forced to adapt, and why climate change is as much about justice as it is about carbon. 

We explore how degrowth and agroecology challenge traditional ideas of “catching up”, and what it means to build food, water and sanitation systems that restore ecosystems instead of depleting them. From Bolivian farmers growing crops at 4,000 metres to African countries navigating green protectionism and carbon border taxes, this conversation asks whether development itself needs to be redefined. 

If you’ve ever wondered whether environmental solutions like agroecology and degrowth are realistic in low- and middle-income countries – or how local knowledge and co-creation can reshape adaptation on the ground – this episode is for you.