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SEED (Solidarity Exchange for the Environment and Development) is an exchange program between Spire and our sister organization in Malawi, Point of Progress. Through SEED, young people from both countries come together to strengthen their organizations, exchange knowledge and experiences, and join forces in the fight for solidarity, climate justice, and food sovereignty. |
Climate Justice and Food Sovereignty
The SEED exchange is grounded in the connection between climate justice and food sovereignty, with a particular focus on climate finance, climate adaptation, and gender equality.
In Malawi, food production is becoming increasingly vulnerable due to more frequent extreme weather events such as droughts and floods. The World Bank warns that climate change could push an additional 2.6 million people into extreme poverty by 2030. This highlights the urgent need to develop resilient and adaptive agricultural strategies.
In Norway, the transition to renewable energy has made progress, but the country continues oil and gas extraction. In 2023, Norway’s CO₂ emissions were 46.7 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents, not including emissions from exported oil and gas. In the same year, Malawi’s annual emissions were 1.75 million tonnes of CO₂. This stark contrast underscores Norway’s responsibility to reduce global emissions and contribute to climate action.
Promoting climate justice requires a fair distribution of burdens: countries that have contributed the most to emissions must take the greatest responsibility, while food sovereignty points the way toward more just and sustainable food systems. Together, they highlight the need for a fundamental shift—from fossil fuels and large-scale industrial agriculture to solutions that prioritize people, the environment, and future generations.
In Malawi, food production is becoming increasingly vulnerable due to more frequent extreme weather events such as droughts and floods. The World Bank warns that climate change could push an additional 2.6 million people into extreme poverty by 2030. This highlights the urgent need to develop resilient and adaptive agricultural strategies.
In Norway, the transition to renewable energy has made progress, but the country continues oil and gas extraction. In 2023, Norway’s CO₂ emissions were 46.7 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents, not including emissions from exported oil and gas. In the same year, Malawi’s annual emissions were 1.75 million tonnes of CO₂. This stark contrast underscores Norway’s responsibility to reduce global emissions and contribute to climate action.
Promoting climate justice requires a fair distribution of burdens: countries that have contributed the most to emissions must take the greatest responsibility, while food sovereignty points the way toward more just and sustainable food systems. Together, they highlight the need for a fundamental shift—from fossil fuels and large-scale industrial agriculture to solutions that prioritize people, the environment, and future generations.
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Countries like Norway therefore have a special responsibility to reduce emissions, phase out fossil fuels, and increase climate financing. At the same time, policies and practices in both Norway and Malawi must support sustainable food systems that empower small-scale producers and uphold food sovereignty, without being undermined by other economic or political interests.
At the heart of these challenges lie the power dynamics within food systems. Industrial agriculture gives large-scale producers dominance, while small-scale farmers are pushed out and marginalized. This leads to unequal access to food and resources, contributing to social inequality and the loss of biodiversity. Small-scale, sustainable farming gives communities greater control, strengthens food security, and better equips them to cope with the impacts of climate change.
Project participants
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Work Exchange
Proff participants 2025/2026: Eira Haugbro (Spire) and Tinamwabi Mumba (Point of Progress) . From August to December they work at Spire’s office in Oslo, and continue in Point of Progress in Malawi from January to June 2026. Their worc focuses on strengthening the collaboration between Spire and Point of Progress, participating in international networks, and working on knowledge sharing, advocacy, and organizational development. Feel free to contact them at [email protected] and [email protected] |
Tinamwabi and Eira.
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Activist Exchange
Volunteer participants 2025/2026: Elin Linnea Östgård and Sigrid Randend-Hatløy (Spire) Funani Matemba and Akuzike Phiri (Point of Progress). The participants are currently with Point of Progress in Malawi and will continue their work with Spire in Norway from January to May 2026. The volunteers engage in educational work in schools and local chapters, contribute through workshops and events, visit farms, and learn together about the themes of the exchange. |
Sigrid, Akuzike, Elin Linnea and Funani
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Examples of work from previous SEED participants
Previous exchange participants have produced a report on youth unemployment in Malawi and a brochure brochure highlighting Malawian farmers’ perspectives on climate injustice. Through surveys and in-depth interviews, they explored both the underlying causes and the consequences of high youth unemployment in Malawi. They also developed policy recommendations for both Malawian and Norwegian authorities.
Volunteer participants from 2024–2025 created a photo exhibition. Through portraits and personal interviews, it tells stories of how climate change affects the lives of people from diverse backgrounds in both Norway and Malawi. Featuring perspectives from farmers to national politicians, activists to industrialists, the exhibition offers an honest insight into how people perceive the causes, impacts, and solutions to climate change differently, while also encouraging reflection and discussion on the origins of these differing viewpoints.
Volunteer participants from 2024–2025 created a photo exhibition. Through portraits and personal interviews, it tells stories of how climate change affects the lives of people from diverse backgrounds in both Norway and Malawi. Featuring perspectives from farmers to national politicians, activists to industrialists, the exhibition offers an honest insight into how people perceive the causes, impacts, and solutions to climate change differently, while also encouraging reflection and discussion on the origins of these differing viewpoints.
Interested in joining the next exchange?
Applications for the next exchange round will take place in April–May 2026. The program period for the next round is August 2026 – July 2027.
Application details and the application form will be posted here on the website and on Spire’s social media channels ahead of the application period. If you would like more information now, please contact the project coordinator (see below).
Application details and the application form will be posted here on the website and on Spire’s social media channels ahead of the application period. If you would like more information now, please contact the project coordinator (see below).