Latest Resources

Green Revolution Factsheet 4: What are synthetic fertilisers?

There are two kinds of fertilisers, natural and synthetic. The fourth factsheet in this series takes a closer look at synthetic fertilisers. Chichewa | English | Nyanja | Portuguese | Sesotho | Setswana | Shona | Siswati | Swahili | Xhosa For the next factsheet in the series, click here.

Green Revolution Factsheet 3: Farmers have alternatives

The third factsheet in this 8-part series looks at the alternatives to industrial monoculture. Chichewa | English | Nyanja | Portuguese | Sesotho | Setswana | Shona | Siswati | Swahili | For the next factsheet in the series, click here.

Green Revolution Factsheet 2: What is wrong with the Green Revolution

The Green Revolution is the introduction of high-yielding seed varieties and modern farming techniques. Part 2 of this 8-part factsheet series looks at what is wrong with the Green Revolution on the African continent. Chichewa | English | Nyanja | Portuguese | Sesotho | Setswana | Shona | Siswati | Swahili | Xhosa Click here […]

Green Revolution Factsheet 1: What is the Green Revolution

The Green Revolution is the introduction of high-yielding seed varieties and modern farming techniques. Our 8-part factsheet series explores the impact of these developments on food production and farming. Chichewa | English | Nyanja | Portuguese | Sesotho | Setswana | Shona | Siswati | Swahili | Xhosa For the next factsheet click here. Download […]

Green Revolution dead-end in Malawi: Two case studies— AGRA’s Pigeon Pea Project and Malawi’s Agr...

This report that the Alliance for a Green Revolution’s ( AGRA’s) sponsored pigeon pea project in Malawi was a dismal failure and its agrodealer project had some major and fundamental weaknesses. The AGRA pigeon pea project and the Malawi Agro-dealer Strengthening Programme (MASP) were implemented under AGRA’s Soil Health Programme (SHP) and the Programme for […]

Africa to lose heritage crops to multinationals ‘donating’ GM technology

The African Centre for Biodiversity (ACB), in a new report titled, “For your own good!” The chicanery behind GM non-commercial ‘orphan crops’ and rice for Africa shows that the GM industry is expanding its grasp to African traditional crops such as cassava, sorghum, sweet potato, pigeon pea, cowpea, banana as well as rice under the […]

The expansion of the commercial seed sector in sub-Saharan Africa: Major players, key issues and ...

Sub-Saharan Africa’s seed systems are undergoing a profound transition, with the private sector leading the way. This report outlines some of the major trends and activities of the major players involved in this, from Monsanto and DuPont Pioneer to the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) and the broader donor community.

AFAP in Ghana, Mozambique and Tanzania—for profits or people?

The chemical fertiliser push in Africa and its implications for smallholder farmers is not receiving enough attention in current discourses concerning Green Revolution policies and practises in Africa. Yet chemical fertilisers are big business on the continent, where its adoption is strongly supported by African governments through subsidy schemes and regional organisations such as NEPAD, […]

Grabbing Africa’s seeds: USAID, EU and Gates Foundation back agribusiness seed takeover

The latest salvo in the battle over Africa’s seed systems has been fired, writes Stephen Greenberg, with the Gates Foundation and USAID playing puppet-masters to Africa’s governments – now meeting in Addis Ababa – as they drive forward corporation-friendly seed regulations that exclude and marginalize the small farmers whose seeds and labour feed the continent. […]

Nuanced rhetoric and the path to poverty: AGRA, small-scale farmers, and seed and soil fertility ...

The report indicates a well-coordinated effort by selected states especially the US and in the EU, philanthropic institutions like AGRA, multilateral institutions like the World Bank, donors and multinational corporations (MNCs) including Yara, Monsanto and Pioneer to construct a Green Revolution that aims to produce a layer of commercial surplus producers. This is an explicit […]