Agricultural technology

AGRA Update: Withheld internal documents reveal no progress for Africa’s farmers

Internal evaluations carried out by the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA), recently obtained by the U.S. Right to Know (USRTK) campaign through Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests, show no new evidence that AGRA is making progress improving yields, incomes and food security for African farmers.

Agricultural knowledge and the future of food systems: The IAASTD project

Some 12 years ago, IATP contributed to a chapter of the first International Assessment of Agricultural Knowledge, Science and Technology for Development (IAASTD). About 400 authors contributed to a global report and five regionally specific reports produced with the help of two rounds of peer reviews of drafts.

House climate report sets path for 2021 — but is it enough?

With special thanks to Tara Ritter, Karen Hansen-Kuhn and Steve Suppan, who contributed to this article.

Failing Africa’s farmers: New report shows Africa’s Green Revolution is “failing on its own terms”

Fourteen years ago, the Bill and Melinda Gates and Rockefeller foundations launched the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) with the goal of bringing Africa its own Green Revolution in agricultural productivity.

Revisiting Crisis by Design: The agricultural technology treadmill

Agricultural technology has enabled overproduction of agricultural commodities, which has left farmers dependent on taxpayer funds in most years to compensate for low commodity prices. Technology adoption statistics do not measure the impacts of technologies on rural communities, particularly in developing countries.

Uprooting the farm crisis in times of COVID-19

The COVID-19 emergency exposes numerous catastrophic failures in our economies and societies.

USDA to biotech: Call your own compliance

The U.S. Department of Agriculture wants agribusiness to sell more genetically engineered (GE) seeds and food products all over the world, as soon as possible. This rule would go beyond already controversial genetically modified organisms (GMOs) to encompass hundreds of new products of new gene and genome editing techniques. The fastest way to do that?

IATP Letter to APHIS

Download the PDF here Radically Abridged Notice and Comment for this Major Proposed Rule

#AgTechTakeback - Tech revolutions, retro innovations and humus farming

Stuart Meikle takes us back to the future, to the poorly named green revolution aka the origins of industrial farming, to the humus farming of just before that, and up to today with the huge challenges farming faces. Agtechtakeback: Tech Revolutions, Retro-Innovations and Humus Farming.

#AgTechTakeback - Show me the money: Debt, technology and path dependence

As the role of technology increases in farming and food, and corporate powers use this to extend their power, we need to strive for technological developments that are appropriate for farmers, for eaters and for the planet. Welcome to #AgTechTakeback.