Senegal faces the double burden of malnutrition, marked by high levels of anaemia among women of reproductive age (53 % in 2019) alongside a growing prevalence of overweight and obesity (29 % nationally, and 41 % in Dakar). An active agroecological social movement exists in Senegal, supporting all principles of agroecology including fairness, knowledge co- creation, connectivity, social values and diets as well as land and natural resources governance. There are several markets in Dakar and its periphery – including socioeconomically mixed neighbourhoods – that sell agroecological products. Agroecological products are foods produced using ecosystem- based practices with reduced chemical inputs or without, and are explicitly promoted as such. They are referred to in Wolof as “mbey mu sell”, meaning “healthy agriculture”.

Though there is evidence that agroecology has positive nutritional effects in rural areas, few studies have been conducted in African urban contexts, where low-income populations are particularly exposed to unhealthy and ultra-processed foods. As part of the Knowledge and Research for Nutrition project of the European Commission, the Nutrition Research Facility (NRF) conducted a study to examine the potential impact pathways between agroecological food systems and nutrition, with a focus on low-income urban women. This study highlights conditions for creating “win–win” solutions that improve diets while supporting sustainable food systems.