Latest Resources

UPF in Africa: fact sheets 6-10

Click here for factsheets 1-5. (Pour lire les fiches en français, cliquez ici.) Fact sheet 10: UPF in Africa synthesis briefing Factsheet 10 is the final in our series that considers the different dimensions of ultra-processed foods (UPFs) and highlights the serious environmental, social, economic and health implications of the expansion of UPF consumption in […]

Annual report for 2023 celebrates ACB’s 20th anniversary

2023 was a special year for the ACB, as it marked the twentieth anniversary since our organisation came into being, initially in response to the emergence of genetically modified organisms and the attendant biosafety issues in food and agriculture.  As the organisation grew, our focus broadened to include a host of interconnected issues affecting food […]

GMOs: two decades of laying out the facts

Even though first-generation genetically modified (GM) agricultural crops have faced significant setbacks and outright failures over the last two decades, a new push for second-generation GM crops has emerged. Despite the destructive role of industrial agricultural expansion in biodiversity loss and human health, we are seeing a resurgence in its momentum, with false solutions such […]

Les aliments ultra-transformés en Afrique

Implications pour une transition agroécologique juste des systèmes alimentaires et agricoles Une série du Centre africain pour la biodiversité Les fiches d’information 6 et 10 sont maintenant disponibles. (Click here to read in English.) Dans cette série d’articles sur les aliments ultra-transformés (UPF) sur le continent africain, nous examinons les effets de l’évolution des comportements […]

Ultra-processed food in Africa

Implications for just agroecological transitions of food and agriculture systems A series by the African Centre for Biodiversity Click here for factsheets 6-10. (Cliquez ici pour lire en français.) In this series focusing on ultra-processed food (UPF) on the African continent, we explore the impacts of shifting dietary patterns, with increasing reliance on low-cost, ultra-processed […]

Game-changer for regulation of genome editing and new tech as SA’s Ag Minister overrules Industry...

PRESS RELEASE 5 February 2024 The African Centre for Biodiversity (ACB), welcomes the final decision taken by the South African Minister of Agriculture Ms Thoko Didiza, in terms of section 19 of the Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO) Act of 1997, to uphold the October 2021 decision of the Executive Council (EC) that the risk assessment […]

No to GM wheat!

Food sovereignty alliance from Latin America, Africa, and Asia approaches seven UN Special Rapporteurs for urgent intervention to block cultivation and trade of GM wheat HB4 To date over 100 organisations endorse this submission. Please note the deadline for endorsements is Wednesday 15 February. PRESS RELEASE 30 January 2024 On 26 January 2024, a submission […]

Just transition and adaptation in the food system: national policy dialogue

The National policy dialogue on a just transition and adaptation in the food system took place in Ekurhuleni, from 20-22 September. Organisations representing the labour movement, smallholder farmers, farm workers, labour tenants, informal traders, waste reclaimers, food and land justice organisations, civil society, and policymakers came together to discuss building a coordinated understanding and policy […]

Ambitious action to phase out world’s most dangerous pesticides urged

UPDATE: Anna Shevel, network coordinator for Unpoison SA, a civil society network united behind effecting legislative reform of agrichemical policy, recently joined Pippa Hudson on CapeTalk to unpack the call on governments, policymakers and other stakeholders attending the Fifth International Conference on Chemical Management to urgently phase out highly hazardous pesticides. Explore some of ACB’s […]

Financialisation, dematerialisation, digitalisation & distancing of Africa’s agriculture

What future for small-scale farmers and their food and seed systems? Following on from part one, The rise of digital agriculture and dispossession in Africa: implications for smallholder farmers, part two looks at how private-sector interests and motives are driving the financialisation of Africa’s food and farming systems. Financialisation is the focus on generation of […]