Who will feed Africans?

The document critiques the 'new' Green Revolution in Africa, which it describes as a corporate takeover driven by multinational agribusinesses and philanthropic foundations. It highlights the risks of genetically modified (GM) crops and synthetic fertilisers, contrasting these with the benefits of agroecology. The report argues that small-scale farmers, who produce 80% of the food consumed in Africa, are the key to food security and should be supported through policy reforms that prioritise public goods and ecological sustainability over private corporate profit.

• The 'new' Green Revolution in Africa is driven by private interests and multinational corporations, utilizing frameworks like the Comprehensive African Agricultural Development Programme (CAADP) and the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) to promote the commercialisation of agriculture through 'improved' inputs and private sector investment.
• Multinational agribusinesses are consolidating power in Africa, with a few giant agrochemical corporations dominating seed and pesticide markets, while grain traders control a vast majority of the global maize trade.
• The push for genetically modified (GM) crops in Africa is facilitated by a network of international agencies and foundations, including USAID and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, often under the guise of addressing climate change and nutrition.
• The adoption of GM cotton in Burkina Faso resulted in inferior quality lint and lower international prices, leading the country to phase out Monsanto's cotton by 2017 and seek US$84 million in damages.
• The Water Efficient Maize for Africa (WEMA) project, funded by Monsanto and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, is critiqued for offering 'throwaway' technology and pressuring countries like Tanzania and Mozambique to relax biosafety and liability laws.
• Small-scale farmers are essential to African food security, producing 80% of the food consumed on less than 15% of available land, yet they are threatened by industrial agriculture and land grabs.
• Agroecological practices provide a viable alternative to industrial farming, as evidenced by push-pull techniques in Kenya that increased farmer incomes threefold and organic cotton in West Africa that improved soil fertility and food security.
• To support agroecology, the report recommends policy reforms that prioritise public goods over private subsidies, protect farmer-managed seed systems, and shift investment from agrochemicals to biological approaches.

APA

Friends of the Earth International (n.d.). Who will feed Africans? https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/FoE-Africa-report.pdf

Chicago

Friends of the Earth International. Who will feed Africans? n.d. https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/FoE-Africa-report.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Friends of the Earth International |title=Who will feed Africans? |url=https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/FoE-Africa-report.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{friendsoftheearthinternationalndwho, author = {{Friends of the Earth International}}, title = {{Who will feed Africans?}}, institution = {Friends of the Earth International}, url = {https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/FoE-Africa-report.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }