AGRA Campaign Media Coverage

Summary articles

• AGRA’s Green Revolution Has Failed, Critics Say, Julius Sigei, The Elephant, Jan. 22, 2022
• Why criticism against ‘green revolution’ is growing, Julius Sigei, Expressions Africa, October 13, 2021.
• Groups call for stop to AGRA funding as hunger crisis worsens in Africa, Stacy Malkan, African Expressions, September 25, 2021. 
• Africa: Agribusiness or Diversity? Christelle Gerand, Le Monde Diplomatique, July 2022.
• Gates-funded ‘green revolution’ in Africa has failed, critics say, Nina Shapiro, Seattle Times, Sept. 8, 2022.
• ‘Time’s up’: Critics call for end to Western-funded food program in Africa, Bartosz Brzezinski, Politico, Sept. 13, 2022.
• Bold action for resilient food systems? End the failing Green Revolution, Anne Maina, Daily Nation (Kenya), August 27, 2022.
• Can AGRA correct course? New plan offers big budget, few changes to address African food crisis, Timothy A. Wise, The Nation (Kenya), Sept. 9, 2022.

AGRF 2022

• Gates-funded ‘green revolution’ in Africa has failed, critics say, Nina Shapiro, Seattle Times, Sept. 8, 2022.
• ‘Time’s up’: Critics call for end to Western-funded food program in Africa, Bartosz Brzezinski, Politico, Sept. 13, 2022.
• Devex Dish: The end of the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa, Teresa Welsh, Devex, Sept. 14, 2022.
• Does AGRA's new $550M strategy address past failures?, Rumbi Chakamba, Devex, Sept. 14, 2022.
• Green Revolution Forum confronts food, fertilizer crises, Timothy A. Wise, Daily Nation (Kenya), August 24, 2022
  • Reprinted in: Organic Consumer Association, In French: L'Alternative (Togo) Sept. 8;
• Bold action for resilient food systems? End the failing Green Revolution, Anne Maina, Daily Nation (Kenya), August 27, 2022.
  • Reprinted in Common Dreams (U.S.)
  • French translation in Ivoiresoir, Ivory Coast, AllAfrica, TogoTopNews. VivAfrik (Senegal), Enquete+ (Senegal - article not online), WalitQuotidien (Senegal),
• Redirect funding to agroecology, not AGRA, African civil societies tell donors, David Mwere, The Nation (Kenya), Sept. 1, 2022.
• Can AGRA correct course? New plan offers big budget, few changes to address African food crisis, Timothy A. Wise, The Nation (Kenya), Sept. 9, 2022.
• Africa Food Crisis: Bill Gates and smallholders see different solutions, Isabelle Gerretsen, Climate Home News, Also in: The Guardian (Tanzania), September 10, 2022.
• Food Charity Looks to Raise $550 Million to Fight African Hunger, Samuel Gebre, Bloomberg News, Sept. 8, 2022.
• What Was Left Out of the Founding Myth of the Green Revolution?, CGIAR, Sept. 13, 2022.
• $1B effort to fight African hunger put farmers in debt and poisons in soil, critics say, The Grio, Sept. 10, 2022.
  • Also posted in The Black Enterprise
• African farmers to UK: stop funding ‘climate-stupid’ agriculture on our continent, Tracy Keeling, The Canary (UK), Sept. 12, 2022.
• Optimism Prevails Despite Uncertainty Over Revolution to Build Africa’s Food Systems, Aimable Twahirwa, IPS News, Sept. 12, 2022. (Appeared in Global Issues, AllAfrica, AFRICAN News Paper) Given what we don't know, why do we act like we know? Alan Guebert, Argus Leader, Sept. 21, 2022.
• Why African groups want agroecology at centre of COP27 climate adaptation talks, Julius Sigei, Nation (Kenya), October 1, 2022.

New research

• The African Development Bank Must Work for Africans, Not Agrochemical Corporations, Frederic Mousseau and Andy Currier, Oakland Institute, September 15, 2022.
• 38 Billion Dollar Question – Who is Driving the Destructive Industrial Agriculture Model?, Frederic Mousseau, Oakland Institute, September 20, 2022.
• Golden bullet or bad bet? New dependencies on synthetic fertilisers and their impacts on the African continent, INKOTA study, July 2022.

Coverage of report

•  A fertiliser cartel holds the global food system hostage, GRAIN, Sept. 1, 2022.
• The War in Ukraine Is Imploding Africa’s Food Systems, Rosa Luxemburg Foundation, Oct. 9, 2022.
• Anti-Synthetic Fertilizer Sentiments As AGRA forum Comes to Kigali, Richard Sultan, TIME of the World (South Sudan), August 29, 2022.
• Costly Fertiliser: In Kigali, AGRA Pledges Bold Action, Activists Have A Different Idea of Bold: Defund AGRA, TIME of the World (South Sudan), Sept. 5, 2022.
• Stop Funding Harmful Agricultural practices - African experts urge donors, Hot in Juba, Sept. 4, 2022
• African farmers, CSOs oppose chemical fertilisers, KABANDA CHULU, Zambia Daily Mail Limited, August 29, 2022.
• African farmers, NGOs, faith leaders to demand end to ‘failed’ Green Revolution, My Joy Online (Ghana), August 24, 2022.
• Stop funding AGRA; Direct support to agroecology – AFSA, My Joy Online (Ghana), Sept. 1, 2022.
• Africa’s ability to feed itself being undermined, Judith Akolo, KBC (Kenya), Sept. 1, 2022.
• AFSA Press Release printed: Our Africa, Our Agriculture: African farmers and faith leaders demand an end to the failed Green Revolution, AllAfrica, Sept. 5, 2022.
• Our Africa, Our Agriculture: African Farmers And Faith Leaders Demand An End To The Failed Green Revolution, News Ghana, Sept. 1, 2022.
• Farmer Review Africa, Sept. 7, 2022.
• African Farmers and Faith Leaders demand an end to the Green Revolution, Kilimo News (Kenya), Sept. 2, 2022.
• AFSA Claims Green Revolution Has Failed in Africa, Demands Donors’ Funding be Redirected to Agroecology, Independent Probe (Liberia), Sept. 3, 2022. 
• Food sovereignty in Africa: Civil society calls for substantial funding for agroecology, Sidwaya (Burkina Faso), Sept. 3, 2022.
• Activists urge end to the failed Green Revolution in Africa, Aimable Twahirwa, Rwanda Dispatch, Sept. 3, 2022.
• Activists want ecological farming to replace chemical fertilisers in Africa, Zuwena Shame, The Guardian (Tanzania - not yet online), Sept. 5, 2022.
• Civil society calls on donors to defund AGRA, Standard (Kenya), Sept. 5, 2022.
• MAINA: To feed Africa and stem climate crisis, end failed Green Revolution, Anne Maina, Star (Kenya), Sept. 6, 2022.
• Cut Africa's dependence on imported agro-inputs, Zephania Ubwani, The Citizen (Tanzania), Sept. 6, 2022.
• Civil society, faith groups and farmers call for an end to the ‘failed green revolution’, Kristin Engel, IOL (South Africa), Sept. 9, 2022.
• Gates’ Green Revolution aimed at reducing hunger in Africa has failed, critics say, Катерина Войтович, Mezha (Ukraine), Sept. 13, 2022.
• African farmers and faith leaders demand an end to the failed green revolution, Capital (Ethiopia), Sept. 11. 2022.
• Africa farmers want end to AGRA funding, SETHI NCUBE, The Independent (Uganda), Sept. 14, 2022.
• Discontent against AGRA’s role in Africa’s agric, Daniel Essiet, The Nation (Nigeria), Sept. 21, 2022
• The Fight for the Future of Farming, The Continent (p. 17), Sept. 24, 2022.
• White-Collar War Crimes and For-Profit Famines, Jag Bhalla, Current Affairs, Oct. 11, 2022.

Multimedia

• AFSA press conference Sept. 1, 2022, with Anne Maina, Leonida Odongo, Ferdinand Wafula, Anuradha Mittal, and Gabriel Manyangadze.
• Lobby groups of African civil society and farmers call for an end to failed Green Revolution, Anne Maina on Kenya's Nation media in three-minute video on reasons for press conference, Sept. 2, 2022.
• Africa Now WPFW radio on African Food Insecurity in Planetary Crisis, with Anne Maina, Ferdinand Wafula, and Timothy A. Wise, August 31, 2022.
• Famine by October? Somalia & East Africa Face Humanitarian Crisis Amid Climate Change, Ukraine War, Democracy Now!, with Million Belay, Sept. 8, 2022.
• A Rude Awakening, KPFA Radio, on AFSA Sept. 1 press conference, featuring Ferdinand Wafula, Sept. 9, 2022.
• Global Food & Fertilizer Crisis, Timothy A. Wise, Pacifica Radio's COVID, Race & Democracy Show, Oct. 10, 2022.
• IATP's Uprooted podcast series: Talking COP27, Oct. 11, 2022, including segment with Timothy A. Wise on "climate-stupid agriculture" in Africa.

Controversy over 2022 donor evaluation

• America’s green revolution is failing African farmers, Francesca de Gasparis and Fletcher Harper, The Hill, June 2, 2022.
• Common Dreams (repost) June 22: The Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa is Hurting Farmers, not Helping.
• African Community Leaders Tell Congress: Stop Funding African Green Revolution, Timothy A. Wise, Food Tank, May 4, 2022.
• Gates Foundation agriculture project in Africa flunks review, Stacy Malkan, USRTK, March 17, 2022.
• Donors must rethink Africa’s flagging Green Revolution, new evaluation shows (commentary), Timothy A. Wise, Mongabay, March 22, 2022.
  • Reposted in: Common Dreams. 
• Congress Should Pull the Plug on USAID’S Failing African Green Revolution, Anne Maina, Food Tank, March 29, 2022.
• Reprinted in Kenya's Business Daily: Change tack in Africa’s food security drive, May 10, 2022.
• African Faith Communities appeal to U.S Congress: “Stop funding industrial Agriculture, AGRA is hurting Africa”, Farmers Review Africa prints SAFCEI press release on letter to AGRA donors, March 30, 2022.
• AGRA is failing farmers, but helping foreign corporations, CAGJ, April 4, 2022.
• AGRA: Still Failing Africa’s Farmers, IATP analysis, Tim Wise, March 4, 2022. (Read press release.)
• "KALIBATA: By improving access to inputs, markets, Agra serves 19m farmers across Africa," March 8, 2022, East African ("sponsored content"). 
• Devex: “AGRA has failed to improve Africa’s food security, report finds,” March 2, 2022.

October 2021 debate opinions from AGRA chair, AFSA and Wise

• AGRA response in African Arguments and featured on AGRA website. 
• AFSA's response, African Arguments: “Time to Change Course: The future is in agroecology,”
• Tim Wise response, Expression Africa: “Time to change course, not double down on failing Green Revolution.”

• Video/audio resources

  • AFSA press conference Sept. 1, 2022, with Anne Maina, Leonida Odongo, Ferdinand Wafula, Anuradha Mittal, and Gabriel Manyangadze.
  • Africa Now WPFW radio on African Food Insecurity in Planetary Crisis, with Anne Maina, Ferdinand Wafula, and Timothy A. Wise, August 31, 2022. 
  • Briefing for U.S. congressional aides, video recording, March 30, 2022, with Million Belay, Francesca de Gasparis, Mutinta Ntekani, Anne Maina, Timothy A. Wise.
  • CAGJ-produced film series, "Rich Appetites: How big philanthopy is shaping the future of food in Africa."
  • The Agribusiness Alliance for a Green Revolution Failed Africa: Long interview with Tim Wise on the issue and the campaign. Full transcript included with link to video on this repost on Naked Capitalism.
  • RLS webinar: The video of the webinar organized in 2021 by Rosa Luxemburg Foundation, with me, Million, Anne Maina, Mariann Bassey and others. .
  • AFSA press conference, Sept. 2, 2021: Video of AFSA's Sept. 2 press conference, with good short punchy statements/presentations by Tim, Million, Anne, Mariann, Francesca.
  • CAGJ webinar with AFSA on food summit. 
  • African Diaspora News Channel, SAFCEI letter coverage, October 2020 Bill Gates GMO Project in Africa Is Harming Farmers.
  • Democracy Now, with Raj Patel, Million Belay, Shalmali Guttal. 
  • Al Jazeera's The Take Podcast: Did the Gates Foundation's Program to Feed Africa Fail?
  • IATP/CIDSE webinar on agroecology Oct. 20, 2021. 
  • IPES-Food - A Growing Culture webinar: "BEYOND UKRAINE: The untold story of the food crisis," June 24, 2022. Watch in: English / Spanish / French. 
  • KPFA "A Rude Awakening" interviews by Sabrina Jacobs (begins at 10:00):
    • Million Belay (July 2021): https://kpfa.org/episode/a-rude-awakening-july-9-2021/
    • Anne Maina (Sept 2021): https://kpfa.org/episode/a-rude-awakening-september-10-2021/
    • Francesca de Gasparis (August 2021): https://kpfa.org/episode/a-rude-awakening-august-6-2021/
    • Gabriel Manyangadze (October 2021): https://kpfa.org/episode/a-rude-awakening-october-29-2021/
    • Tim Wise (Nov 2021) on N fertilizer overuse: https://kpfa.org/episode/a-rude-awakening-november-12-2021/
    • Tim Wise (March 18, 2022): https://kpfa.org/player/?audio=375654
    • Stacy Malkan, Anne Maina, Francesca de Gasparis (April 1, 2022): https://kpfa.org/player/?audio=376631
    • Mamadou Goita and Tim Wise, July 1, 2022, on Mali's transition to organic fertilizers: https://kpfa.org/episode/a-rude-awakening-july-1-2022/
    • Leonida Odongo, July 8, 2022, Seed sovereignty in Kenya: https://kpfa.org/episode/a-rude-awakening-july-8-2022/
  • Timothy A. Wise on The DonnaLonna Kitchen Podcast, April 29, 2022, Eating Tomorrow With Author Timothy Wise.
  • Timothy A. Wise on The Checkout Podcast, April 12, 2022, Rethinking The Green Revolution.
  • Timothy A. Wise presentation April 6, 2022, video, Iowa State University, Old Fertilizer in New Bottles: Selling the Past as Innovation in Africa's Green Revolution.
  • Tim Wise interviewed on KOPN Radio in Missouri:

• Articles

  • Open Letter to USAID: Fund Sustainable Food Systems in Africa, Not Another Industrial 'Green Revolution', Common Dreams

  • SAFCEI op-ed, Capital News Kenya, Aug 31, 2021, on its 2021 letter to Gates Foundation signed by more than 500 faith leaders: African faith communities to Gates Foundation: ‘Industrial agriculture is no solution for Africa and Capital FM. 

  • AllAfrica: https://allafrica.com/stories/202108310809.html
  • Vanguard, Nigeria: https://www.vanguardngr.com/2021/08/industrial-agriculture-is-no-solution-for-africa/
  • Daily Maverick, S Africa: https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2021-09-03-african-faith-communities-industrial-agriculture-is-no-solution-for-africa/
  • Business Daily, Nairobi - https://www.businessdailyafrica.com/bd/opinion-analysis/columnists/industrial-farming-model-solution-to-africa-s-hunger-problem-3539890
  • The Plebiscite World: https://theplebisciteworld.com/2021/09/07/agriculture-africa-business/
  • The Insight, Nigeria: https://theinsight.com.ng/industrial-agriculture-is-no-solution-for-africa/
  • SAFCEI press release, Religion News Service, Aug 5, 2021: African faith communities to Gates Foundation: ‘Industrial agriculture is no solution for Africa’
  • September 2021 Africa Green Revolution Forum: Nation, Kenya: https://nation.africa/kenya/news/agra-on-spot-over-africa-s-food-insecurity-despite-huge-donor-funding-3538040
  • IPS News: Tim Wise, http://www.ipsnews.net/2021/08/fiddling-nairobi-africa-goes-hungry/
  • The Conversation - Africa, T Wise: Africa’s green revolution initiative has faltered: why other ways must be found, September 14, 2021.
  • Modern Ghana: https://www.modernghana.com/news/1104403/africas-green-revolution-initiative-has-faltered.htm
  • Down to Earth, India - https://www.downtoearth.org.in/blog/105th-indian-science-congress/africa-s-green-revolution-initiative-has-faltered-why-other-ways-must-be-found-79028
  • MENA - Middle East News - https://menafn.com/1102798588/Africa-s-green-revolution-initiative-has-faltered-why-other-ways-must-be-found&source=19
  • AllAfrica - https://allafrica.com/stories/202109150016.html
  • The Citizen, Tanzania - https://www.thecitizen.co.tz/tanzania/oped/africa-s-green-revolution-initiative-has-faltered-other-ways-must-be-found-3552054
  • Million Belay op-ed in Al Jazeera: Africa is not a monoculture, we reject the plans to make it one
  • Food Tank: https://foodtank.com/news/2021/09/africans-publicly-challenge-green-revolution-backers/
  • Devex:https://www.devex.com/news/faith-groups-lead-call-to-defund-industrial-agriculture-in-africa-100609
  • Sci.Dev: https://www.scidev.net/global/news/calls-for-halt-to-funding-for-industrial-agriculture/
  • Presbyterian News Service (USA): PC(USA) ministries call for support of African farmers
  • USRTK: https://usrtk.org/bill-gates-food-tracker/agra-donors/ and https://usrtk.org/our-investigations/critiques-of-gates-foundation/
  • Der Speigel, Germany: False promise for Africa's farmers, Sept. 6, 2021 (in German, on RLS follow-up report)  
  • Development Minister Schulze questions the Gates project, Feb. 25, 2022 (in German, on AGRA project in Ghana using pesticides banned in EU, German Dev Minister threatening to pull funding)
  • The Counter on UNFSS: https://thecounter.org/united-nations-summit-protest-corporations-sustainable-future-global-food-systems/
  • Social Europe, Jayati Ghosh - https://socialeurope.eu/time-is-running-out-for-a-new-agricultural-model-for-the-global-south
  • South Seattle Emerald, CAGJ - https://southseattleemerald.com/2021/09/22/opinion-bill-gates-do-better-and-listen-to-african-civil-society/
  • Podcast with Million: https://www.thecheckoutradio.com/podcast/episode79-million-belay-afsa
  • Anne Maina op-ed in Business Daily (see bottom of page)
  • Al Jazeera, Park and Vercillo: African agriculture without African farmers
  • Al Jazeera, Park and Vercillo: The new US nutrition aid strategy undermines Africa’s hungriest
  • Sojourners Magazine, Francesca de Gasparis and Gabriel Manyangadze, The Gates Foundation's Failing "Green Revolution" (paywall)
  • Tim Wise, IPS News, on fertilizer and climate change: https://www.ipsnews.net/2021/11/magical-thinking-fertilizer-climate-change/
  • Million Belay, Heather Day, Steve Gloyd, Real Change News & Common Dreams, The Gates Foundation should fund better solutions to hunger and nutrient deficiencies
  • Tim Wise, The Elephant (Kenya), "Africa’s Land Use Problem: Is Green Revolution Agriculture a Solution or a Cause?" Dec. 3. 2021.
  • Le Journal Afrique, Feb 28, 2022, The failure of the "green revolution" promised by Rockefeller and Gates
  • Tim Wise, DownToEarth India, "Hostile takeover: Why seed sovereignty in Africa is under threat," May 3, 2022, part of special section on Seed Sovereignty in Africa.
  • Wendy Schmidt, Inside Philanthropy, Philanthropy Can Seed Agroecology, May 22, 2022.
  • Julius Sigei, Lobby pushes for continent-wide food policy, Nation (Kenya), June 14, 2022.
  • Interview with Leonida Odongo on Seed Sovereignty: Open Democracy, June 24, 2022.
  • AFSA Sept. 2021 press release, published:
    • Nigeria: https://authorityngr.com/2021/09/06/agra-has-failed-to-catalyze-productivity-revolution-in-african-agriculture-afsa/
    • EnviroNews Nigeria: https://www.environewsnigeria.com/western-govts-private-foundations-urged-to-stop-funding-agra/
    • News Ghana: https://newsghana.com.gh/open-letter-to-agra-donors-call-to-end-support-for-green-revolution-programs-in-africa/?__cf_chl_jschl_tk__=pmd_ZMS5kLnOVcBdbF_bDmrgftJi8IDxkNlTf1NutUWTh6o-1631113191-0-gqNtZGzNAtCjcnBszQi9
  • AFSA sign-on letter published: African Arguments: https://africanarguments.org/2021/09/open-letter-the-green-revolution-in-africa-has-unequivocally-failed/

UNFSS coverage mentioning AGRA controversy

• IPS, Jomo KS - http://www.ipsnews.net/2021/09/food-systems-summits-scientistic-threat/
• Guardian - https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/sep/23/small-producers-boycott-un-food-summit-corporate-interests
• Guardian, Small farmers have the answer to feeding the world. Why isn’t the UN listening? Elizabeth Mpofu and Henk Hobbelink
• German TV station (google translated) - https://www.tagesschau.de/wirtschaft/weltwirtschaft/welternaehrungsgipfel-lobbyismus-101.html
• Mediapart (French with paywall), on AGRA: https://www.mediapart.fr/journal/international/230921/en-afrique-des-paysans-en-lutte-contre-l-agro-colonialisme
• Oakland Institute policy brief: https://www.oaklandinstitute.org/sites/oaklandinstitute.org/files/brief-un-food-systems-summit.pdf
• GRAIN, AFSA Big Food Danger report: https://afsafrica.org/big-food-in-africa-endangering-peoples-health/
• AFSA Stories of seed activism: https://afsafrica.org/stories-of-seed-activism-journalists-from-14-countries-reporting-peoples-solution-to-corporate-control-of-africas-life/

Other UNFSS coverage

• https://newsin.asia/pernicious-dominance-of-western-corporate-interests-over-the-world-food-system
• https://www.dailymirror.lk/opinion/Pernicious-dominance-of-Western-corporate-interests-over-the-world-food-system-Food-System-Summit-turned-blind-eye-to-democracy-deficit/172-221256
• https://www.agenceecofin.com/conference/2209-91727-le-sommet-des-nations-unies-sur-les-systemes-alimentaires-2021-un-rendez-vous-sous-tension
• https://www.blackstarnews.com/global-politics/global-politics/the-battle-over-global-food-and-agriculture
• Civil Eats on UNFSS