Latest Resources

G8 “Hunger Summit” initiative rejected by African civil society – Corporate tak...

At the heart of the leading initiatives to ‘modernise’ African agriculture is a drive to open markets and create space for multinationals to secure profits. Green revolution technologies – and the legal and institutional changes being introduced to support them – will benefit a few at the expense of the majority. As world leaders gather […]

NEW SEED LEGISLATION SPELLS DISASTER FOR SMALL FARMERS IN AFRICA

Civil society organisations from the SADC region, and around the world have condemned the SADC draft Protocol for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants (Plant Breeders’ Rights) as spelling disaster for small farmers and food security in the region. These groups, representing millions of farmers in Africa and around the world have submitted their […]

ACB Comments on National Strategy on Agroecology

The Department of Agriculture is in the process of developing a Strategy for Agroecology for South Africa, with the aim of achieving “an ecologically, socially and economically sustainable agro-ecology sector that contributes towards poverty alleviation, job creation, food security, economic development, climate change mitigation and adaptation”. It is not clear where the drive for this […]

Letter to the UK Government on DFID Green Revolution funding

Letter from Food & Water Watch, GAIA Foundation and ACB to UK government demanding answers over DFID funding of Green Revolution projects in Africa. Read more.

African farm analysts demand answers from UK over DfID funding Is the UK setting up a poverty tra...

The Africa Centre for Biosafety (ACB), supported by Food & Water Europe and the Gaia Foundation, today wrote to UK Ministers for International Development, Business and Environment asking for evidence for the basis of UK overseas aid policy. The ACB recently published a searing critique of the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (known […]

Harmonisation of Africa’s seed laws: death knell for African seed systems

The African Centre for Biosafety (ACB) has released its new report titled, ‘Harmonisation of Africa’s seed laws: a recipe for disaster- Players, motives and dynamics. The report shows how African governments are being co-opted into harmonising seed laws relating to border control measures, phytosanitary control, variety release systems, certification standards and intellectual property rights, to […]

Statement on AGRA (Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa)

At a farmers rights meeting held in Uganda in September 2012, where a statement was drawn up and signed by many concerned parties. Read the statement here. Signatures:

Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA): laying the groundwork for the commercialisation...

We consider AGRA’s broad philosophy and structure, focusing on AGRA’s own views or those of its consultants, before turning to a more detailed consideration of its specific work in the Programme for Africa’s Seed Systems (PASS) and, in slightly less detail, its Soil Health Programme (SHP). These programmes are inseparable because seed and soil fertility […]

South Africa’s Seed Systems: Challenges for food sovereignty

The African Centre for Biosafety and Trust for Community Outreach and Education, have the pleasure of sharing with you, our new study, which provides an overview of the structure of the seed system in South Africa, the types of seed in use and their pros and cons, the legislative and policy environment, and the role […]

Response to the Environment Green Paper 2010

The ACB has submitted comments on the Department of Environmental Affairs’ National Climate Change Response Green Paper. Read here.