An alliance of civil society groups has accused The Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) of using its power to exert undue influence on local, national and continental policymaking in agriculture.
In a briefing paper “Pulling Back the Veil: AGRA’s Influence on Africa’s Agricultural Policies,” The Alliance for Food Sovereignty in Africa (AFSA) exposes how AGRA uses strategic financial backing and embedding of consultants in government institutions to entrench industrial models to farmers. The investigation focused on Kenya and Zambia, where AGRA has been significantly involved in shaping agricultural policy.
“The Green Revolution is a mirage; it is promoting capitalism from the global North to continue controlling our food systems, environment, well-being, and livelihoods,” says Sarah Haloba from the Zambian Governance Foundation.
The report claims that AGRA continues to undermine democratic processes by attempting to co-opt and dilute efforts by farmers advocating for agroecology. This the report claims was clearly visible in Vihiga County in Kenya, where an AGRA affiliate, the Food and Land Use Coalition (FOLU), infiltrated the final stages of a regional agroecology policy that had been two years in the making.
“They (FOLU) have been absent in meetings, but suddenly, they are included in the policy texts now, along with terms such as ‘climate-smart’ and ‘agri-food systems.’ It is clear they are pulling strings behind the scenes,” said Ferdinand Wafula, founder of Bio Gardening Innovations (BIOGI), who had been part of the process.
He also added, “We can’t trust AGRA, the agent of industrial agriculture, to drive the agroecology agenda.”
At the continental level, the report says AGRA’s involvement extends to the post-Malabo process, a key policy initiative led by the African Union (AU), aiming to shape Africa’s next decade of agriculture. This included funding critical meetings, such as the gathering in Lusaka, back in July.