Latest Resources

8 March 2019

Urgent call for African food sovereignty movements to connect with radical feminist movements on ...

This article was first published on the Inter Press Service Agency, on March 8, as part of its coverage of International Women’s Day. Africa is facing dire times. Climate change is having major impacts on the region and on agriculture in particular, with smallholder farmers, and especially women, facing drought, general lack of water, shifting […]

5 March 2019

WHY FARMERS FIND FISP PROBLEMATIC (Part 1 of 4 videos)

In August 2018, The Rural Women’s Assembly (RWA) and the African Centre for Biodiversity (ACB) hosted a speak-out with SADC smallholder farmers in Windhoek, Namibia, on Farm Input Subsidy Programmes (FISPs). FISPs are government agricultural programmes to promote the use of Green Revolution inputs (hybrid seed, synthetic fertilizer and agro-chemicals) produced by multinational corporations. WHY […]

16 January 2019

Africa Group captured by colonial medicine, agribusiness and US military interests on gene drives...

On the pretext of supporting scientific innovation for malaria eradication, African countries vociferously defended a techno-fix that does not address the wider determinants of malaria – but rather, represents the changing face of colonial medicine and threatens the biodiversity of an entire continent. At the UN’s recent Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), a proposal to […]

5 October 2018

The future of smallholder farmer support in Tanzania: Where to after the National Agricultural In...

A publication by the African Centre for Biodiversity (ACB) titled The Future of smallholder farmer support in Tanzania: Where to after the National Agricultural Input Voucher System (NAIVS)? discusses farm input subsidies in Tanzania and their impacts on smallholder farmers. The report examines the history of farm input subsidy programmes (FISPs) in the country, with […]

10 September 2018

Report from SADC regional farmer speak out on farm input subsidy programmes

Rural Women’s Assembly (RWA) and African Centre for Biodiversity (ACB) jointly hosted a meeting of farmers and civil society organisations (CSOs) in August 2018 to share views and experiences on farm input subsidy programmes (FISPs) and public sector support for agroecology in the region. About 140 participants from Namibia, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Zambia, Malawi, […]

28 August 2018

Media release: Civil society responds to BioAfrica Convention

For immediate release 28 August 2018 BioAfrica Convention: Open for the business of profit; closed to the questions that matter This week the biotechnology industry meets at the Durban International Convention Centre. Themed “Africa – Open for business” the Convention will explore various ways in which African biodiversity can be exploited for agriculture, industry and […]

13 August 2018

Farm input subsidy programme (FISP) info pamphlet

This pamphlet offers a quick background on the FISPs and the key issues and concerns. It explains what FISPs are, their aims, why the FISPs are failing to meet their objectives, how they promote small-scale farmer dependency, and ways of transitioning out of FISPs towards more appropriate forms of smallholder farmer support. African Centre for […]

14 June 2018

Restrict, regulate and reduce corporate power in South Africa’s food system

I attended a dialogue on corporate ownership in South Africa in May, in Tshwane, hosted by Trade and Industrial Policy Strategies (TIPS). There was strong government representation at the dialogue, including from Treasury; Trade and Industry; Minerals and Energy; and Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation. Someone from the EU was also there. Corporate concentration is a […]

6 June 2018

Bayer opposes black economic empowerment in purchase of Monsanto

The Competition Tribunal announced the finalisation of the merger between Bayer and Monsanto in South Africa in May. Bayer had taken the original conditions imposed by the Competition Commission in 2017 to the Tribunal for reassessment. These included selling businesses to black economic empowerment (BEE) compliant companies. Bayer has claimed confidentiality on the conditions, making […]

5 April 2018

A tale of neo-apartheid plans, dodgy dealings and corporate capture: Government support to South ...

Press Release from the African Centre for Biodiversity Johannesburg, Thursday 5 April 2018 Limited transparency, weak accountability, and capture by corporations and politically-connected individuals. These are features of the current South African landscape found in government’s smallholder farmer support programmes, according to a research report by African Centre for Biodiversity (ACB) released today. The report, […]