Page 18 - Msingi Afrika Magazine Issue 13

Wholeness

Africa, and over a third in Asia and policies that favour seed and pesti- implement its top-down industrial
Latin America, a lot of it through cide companies, such as patents on farming agenda.
local NGOs in these regions.9 seeds or regulations that allow for One recent example is the 2021
GMOs. “High-Level Dialogue on Feed-
The Gates Foundation gives to ing Africa” that was held on 29-
scientists, not farmers The Gates Foundation has given 30 April this year.12 This forum,
AGRA a whopping US$638 million funded by the Gates Foundation,
As can be seen in Graph 2, the since 2006, covering almost two and organized by a number of
single biggest recipient of grants thirds of its overall budget. But Gates Foundation grantees such
from the Gates Foundation is the AGRA’s results are underwhelming as the African Development Bank,
CGIAR- a consortium of 15 inter- to say the least. In the countries CGIAR and AGRA, was meant to
national research centres launched where AGRA is active, yields of launch a policy and funding agenda
in the 1960s and 70s to promote the staple crops increased only 18% to further push the Green Revolu-
Green Revolution with new seeds, over the past 12 years- far short of tion into Africa. The event attracted
fertilisers and chemical inputs. The AGRA’s goal of doubling yields. no less than 18 African heads of
Gates Foundation has given CGIAR Meanwhile, undernourishment (as state and several other high-profile
centres US$1.4 billion since 2003. measured by the FAO) increased by personalities. But, most remarkable
Another priority for the Gates 30% in those countries.10 of all, is that of all the internation-
Foundation in its funding is to al organisations with activities in
support research at universities and Instead of acknowledging that their Africa on the long speakers list of
national research centres. Again, the data shows a complete failure to the dialogue, virtually all are Gates
vast majority of the Gates’ grants go achieve their objectives and chang- grantees. The forum concluded with
to universities and research centres ing their approach accordingly, Bill a commitment to double agricultural
in North America and Europe. To- and Melinda are doubling down. In productivity, something AGRA and
gether, all this research gets almost early 2020 they launched their own the Gates Foundation have been
half (47%) of the Gates Founda- new research institute called “Gates promising and failing to deliver for
tion’s funding. Ag One”. This enterprise claims to the last decade and a half.
speed up the development of new
The Gates Foundation’s support seeds and chemicals and get them to Of course, AGRA itself is also
for Green Revolution-style research farmers in sub-Saharan Africa and actively pushing the African policy
extends beyond the scientists. One South Asia more quickly.11 Where agenda. AGRA is among the key
of the most significant recipients will the institute be based? Not in conveners of the annual Africa
of Gates Foundation funding is a Ethiopia or Sri Lanka but in St. Green Revolution Forum (AGRF)
high-profile advocacy organisation Louis, USA, home of Monsanto and which calls itself the world’s premier
called the Alliance for a Green other GMO and pesticide giants. forum for African agriculture and
Revolution in Africa (AGRA). The has been convening annual meetings
Gates and Rockefeller Founda- The Gates Foundation buys po- for the past decade. Partners include
tions launched AGRA in 2006 as a litical influence some of the main global agrochem-
“farmer-centered” and “African-led” ical corporations, such as Bayer,
institution. The reality is anything In many subtle and not so subtle Corteva and Yara, and of course the
but. AGRA implements a top-down ways the Gates Foundation grants Gates Foundation itself. Unsurpris-
Green Revolution agenda with the are used to push policy makers to ingly, its agenda is clearly oriented to
main focus being to get new seeds
and chemicals developed by Gates
funded research centres and corpo-
rations into the hands of African
farmers. AGRA establishes, funds,
coordinates and promotes networks
of pesticide and seed companies
and public agencies to sell and
supply agriculture inputs to farmers
across Africa. It also actively lobbies
African governments to implement
Gates at the 2006 World Economic Forum advising policy makers. Photo:
18 | we tell the true afrikan story World Economic Forum; Peter Klaunzer- Flickr