Agricultors’ ChildrenSons Assembly
Opening the door to inclusion
How five young people turned isolation into community strength and concrete action.
In August 2025, five young people came together in Maputo to reflect on floods, droughts and hunger. Led by a political science scholar living with visual disability, the Agricultors’ Children Assembly created a space where adaptation transformed individual stories into concrete plans for action.
Motivated by his concern for those usually left out of public debates, activist Leonardo Jorge set out to create a new kind of Community Assembly. “My concern was to ensure the participation of those who normally have no possibility of being included in public debate about climate and food security.”
Leonardo initially tried recruiting from more educated civic groups but he quickly realised the mismatch: “They were informed people, some even with higher education, but they didn’t take climate and food security seriously. The commitment wasn’t there,” he said.
So he turned to the Farmers’ Association of the Maotas, which connected him to the sons, daughters, nephews, and close relatives of its members. “It worked because they were directly linked to agriculture, although they don’t identify themselves as activists”
Hosted on a golf course near the city’s mangroves, Leonardo explained the choice behind a natural, open space: “It was an environmentally good place, calm in the morning, with trees and space to sit, so participants could feel close to nature.”
Meeting outdoors made people feel comfortable and connected them to the very environment under discussion. By sharing personal stories, they discovered how others they hadn’t known before were facing similar struggles.
What happened in the assembly?
Three young men and two women took part, all children or relatives of smallholder farmers. Whilst Leonardo arrived with a structured plan, it quickly became clear that the participants were more eager to discuss their lived experiences so rather than follow the prepared sequence, he adapted the three-hour discussion.
“It wasn’t planned this way, but it became clear that food systems couldn’t be addressed without first listening to how climate and environmental shocks shape daily life. That urgency had to come through,” Leonardo reflected.
The group identified clear problems –– floods caused by heavy rains and poor drainage, drought, hunger, and poverty. They discussed the causes such as civil engineering failures, agricultural practices, and climate variability, and then developed a set of concrete ideas. They proposed building water retention basins, improving drainage in infrastructure projects, creating river dikes, promoting agroecological farming, and holding regular awareness meetings with farmers.
For the young people, this was their first experience of structured deliberation. Leonardo, recalled: “When we really started debating, some said: ‘Now I understand…now I see exactly what the focus is here.’” They no longer saw floods, hunger, and drought as isolated hardships but as interconnected challenges requiring collective solutions.
The assembly generated many proposals, and participants needed a way to decide which ones would guide their collective goals. They chose not to use voting but instead to reach consensus: “We preferred consensus, so everyone felt part of the decision.”
Lessons from the session
The three-hour format wasn’t long enough for such an intense debate. “It was clear the time was insufficient. We need to extend the assemblies so ideas can mature,” said Leonardo. And whilst two young women did participate, Leonardo noted that it was much harder for them to join, as many women needed to justify or request permission from fathers or husbands. This reflected broader patterns also observed in other Mozambican assemblies, such as in rural Zambezia, where family authority structures limited women’s ability to participate freely. Being outdoors in a trusted space also allowed participants to speak openly, without fear or formal pressure. Even with these challenges, this community assembly created a space where women could begin to break through traditional barriers and make their voices heard.
From local voices to global visions
What began as a small gathering of people became something much bigger –– a reminder that when people are given a platform, they lead. Political action doesn’t always start in parliaments. Sometimes, it starts under a tree.
Thinking of running an assembly?
For those often excluded from political spaces, adaptation is what makes community assemblies transformative. As Leonardo put it, “Not everyone excluded wants to remain excluded, sometimes they just need an open door.”
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