Latest Resources
14 May 2020
Advancing agroecology and farmer managed seed systems in Limpopo
At a dialogue on farmer managed seed systems and agroecology, held in Acornhoek, Limpopo on 20-22 January 2020, farmers and support organisations made clear that they want to see more government and policy support for agroecology and farmer managed seed systems, that they will work together to engage government in this direction, and that they […]
8 May 2020
Towards a democratised and recalibrated food system in South Africa
ACB’S Stephen Greenberg’s op-ed urging for a shift to localisation and agroecology The Covid-19 crisis has exposed the stark inequalities that persist in our society. Vast disparities in access to health care, food, shelter, personal safety, water, transport and communications have been laid bare. Aside from imposing a lockdown, the South African government has been […]
20 April 2020
COVID-19: Access to medicine & implications for Africa
ACB brings you a new discussion paper Passer à la version française Clique aqui para a versão portuguesa Dear Friends and Colleagues, Expeditious and affordable access to medicines and other healthcare items will be critical to reducing the toll of COVID-19 in Africa. But if nothing is done to compel corporations to make their patents […]
20 March 2020
The Monoculture effect and COVID-19
An ACB statement on Human Rights Day, 21 March The COVID-19 outbreak illustrates the complex interactions between deforestation, reduced biological diversity, ecosystem destruction, and human health and safety, in large part driven by the globalised agricultural and food system. Further, with the threats posed by climate change, we can expect greater exposure to existing and […]
5 March 2020
GM Potato Push in East Africa
Andean and African farmers condemn digital sequence information of potatoes from centres of origin – opens doors for biopiracy (Passer à la version française) (Por favor, haga clic aquí para el español) Cusco, Peru; Johannesburg, South Africa and Kigali, Rwanda – 05 March, 2020 Billionaire potato overlords on both sides of the North Atlantic want […]
4 March 2020
More toxic GM crops & food for SA; Ineffective GM drought tolerant maize pushed on Kenya and...
In this first alert of the decade, African Centre of Biodiversity research and advocacy officers Linzi Lewis and Sabrina Masinjila provide an update on the status of GM activities, in South Africa and in relation to the region. Summary of current key trends The South African government has authorised field trials of 2,4-D resistant soybean. […]
25 February 2020
Insights from farmer dialogues in Kalulushi, Zambia
In 2019, the African Centre for Biodiversity (ACB) co-hosted four farmer exchanges in Zambia. The first was in Kalulushi, Copperbelt Province, in partnership with the Zambia College of Horticultural Training (ZCHT) Chapula, Kasisi Agricultural Training Centre (KATC), and the Zambia Alliance for Agroecology and Biodiversity (ZAAB). ACB Advocacy and Research Officer Rutendo Zendah gives an […]
10 February 2020
IPC’s letter on UN Food Systems Summit: Call for support
The International Planning Committee for Food Sovereignty (IPC) calls on CSOs to endorse their letter of concern to the UN regarding the 2021 World Food Summit Since the 1996 Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nation’s (FAO’s) World Food Summit (WFS) in Rome, civil society organisations (CSOs) supporting food sovereignty have created alliances across […]
6 November 2019
Changing the discourse, policy and practice in farmer seed systems in Africa
The ACB is excited to share this new briefing paper (see below for English, French and Portuguese versions), highlighting key issues relating to recognition and support for farmer seed systems in Africa and beyond. Farmers’ seed constitutes the majority of seed used and exchanged. Crops produced from this seed contribute substantially to food and nutrition […]
5 November 2019
Farmer-Managed Seed Systems in Limpopo Province, South Africa – October 2019
The African Centre for Biodiversity (ACB) co-hosted two farmer exchanges in South Africa in 2019 – in Limpopo and Eastern Cape. The Limpopo meeting and field visit brought together smallholder farmers from Dzomo La Mupo and Mopani Farmers Association (MFA), and officials form Limpopo Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (LDARD). Recognising that industrial agriculture […]