The devastation caused by harmful agricultural policies on Africa’s farmland remains a challenge to attaining food security in the continent. In this report, CHIKA OKEKE brings to limelight the challenges of some farmers and the need to protect Africa's food system.
The impact of climate change is taking its toll on every sector of Africa's economy especially the agricultural sector that is threatened by shortage of food supply.
While Africa accounts for 3.8 percent of greenhouse gas emissions globally, Nigeria contributes 0.57 percent to the global statistics on emissions. Regrettably, the continent is highly taunted by the negative effect of climate change.
Aside wobbly policies initiated by Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA), banditry, farmers/herders clashes, shrinking of Lake Chad, insurgency and high cost of agricultural inputs are worsening massive efforts by farmers to provide sufficient food in Africa and Nigeria generally.
Though AGRA has invested over $1 billion dollars to support smallholder farmers in Africa, its initiatives have worsened the plight of farmers by increasing dependence on costly inputs, eroding local seed varieties, undermining soil fertility, and weakening farmers’ resilience to climate shocks such as drought, flooding and desertification.
AGRA, which is sponsored by Gates Foundation is expected to push further their Green Revolution agenda during the AFSA summit taking place in Kigali, Rwanda from September 2 to 6.
It is an African-based organisation committed to transforming agriculture in Africa. With its headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya, the foundation priortised 11 countries in three agroecologies such as Ghana, Nigeria, Mali and Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Tanzania, Malawi and Mozambique.
Worried by the tales surrounding food systems, farmers under the auspices of Alliance for Food Sovereignty in Africa (AFSA) have raised concern over harmful agricultural policies that threatens biodiversity and degrades the soil.
However, ahead of Africa Food Systems summit, AFSA organised a press conference, where they revealed how AGRA is using its outsized power to exert undue influence on local, national and continental policymaking.
With the theme: "Pulling Back the Veil: AGRA’s Influence on Africa’s Agricultural Policies", the briefing which was held in Nairobi, Kenya, highlighted the intricacies surrounding Africa’s food system.
AFSA is Africa’s largest civil society movement, bringing together farmers, pastoralists, fishers, indigenous people, faith groups, women’s movements, youth and consumer associations in a united voice for food sovereignty on the continent. It currently operates in 50 African countries, including Nigeria.
The briefing exposed how AGRA uses strategic financial backing and embedding of consultants in government institutions to entrench industrial models detrimental to farmers.
Shaky Green Revolution
The green revolution initiated during the 20th century led to the introduction of new varieties of wheat and rice, which gradually increased crop yields in Latin America and Asia. But due to the inherent political and ecological crisis in Africa, the programme remains shaky.
It was jointly established in 2006 by Rockefeller Foundation and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation under the platform of AGRA, widely proclaimed as a landmark frontline initiative for African agriculture.
Worried by the devastation on Africa's soil, AFSA has concluded plans to demand for compensation from Gates Foundation for damaging the continent's food systems as well as its resultant effect on the green revolution programs.
A farmer representing Zambian Governance Foundation, Sarah Haloba likened green revolution to colonisation that promotes capitalism in the environment and livelihoods.
"The Green Revolution is a mirage; it's colonisation in disguise promoting capitalism from the global North to continue controlling our food systems, environment, well-being and livelihoods," she said.
Uncertainty On Agroecology Agenda
Irrespective of documented failures taunting AGRA's initiatives, the organisation has consistently compelled farmers to back down on agroecology. This manifested in Vihiga County in Kenya, where an AGRA affiliate, the Food and Land Use Coalition (FOLU) infiltrated the final stages of a two-year regional agroecology policy.
Agroecology is a scientific method of farming that incorporates ecological, social and economic factors into the production and consumption of food. It was designed to achieve zero hunger, food security, nutrition and health, poverty alleviation, climate change resilience, biodiversity, youth engagement and gender self-determination.
Founder of Bio Gardening Innovations (BIOGI), Ferdinand Wafula described AGRA as agent of industrial agriculture, meant to drive the agroecology agenda, adding that the organisation cannot be trusted.
"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," he said.
Post-Malabo Process
African nations had in 2003 convened in Maputo, Mozambique and agreed on the Comprehensive Africa Agricultural Development Program (CAADP). The agreement was intended to bolster growth in the agricultural sector by six percent and to allocate 10 percent of Africa's national budget to the sector.
The CAAD failed to achieve the intended objectives, a situation that led to the development of a ten-year strategic policy in Malabo. Though African leaders are working assiduously to deliver the CAADP framework, the four Biennial Review reports indicated that the continent remains largely off-track in achieving the Malabo declaration target by 2025.
However, AGRA’s involvement extends to the Post-Malabo process, a key policy initiative led by the African Union, aimed at shaping the next decade of agriculture. This included funding critical meetings like the Lusaka summit in July, 2024.
Coordinator for the Alliance for Food Sovereignty in Africa, Million Belay lamented that Western entities are overshadowing the voices of African farmers.
"Throughout the meeting in Lusaka, the sway of these Western entities in driving the process was palpable, overshadowing the voices of African farmers, civil society and grassroots organisations," he added.
Detoriating Zambia's Food System
The devastation caused by the green revolution agenda in Zambia, where corn production has fallen by half and hunger is severe cannot be quantified.
A recent report by the African Centre for Biodiversity (ACB) highlighted Zambia as a prime example of the disastrous outcomes of green revolution initiatives. Zambia’s food system is on the brink of collapse as six million households are at risk of hunger after the maize production fell by 50 percent following a devastating drought.
It was further revealed that the use of synthetic fertiliser and monoculture were the major reasons behind soil acidification, soil infertility and biodiversity loss, which increased vulnerability to climate shocks and pest attacks.
This reflected the disturbing pattern across the continent where up to 80 percent of Africa’s cultivated land is already degraded and may likely worsen with Farm Input Subsidy Programmes (FISPs).
A Zambian farmer, who is the chairperson of the Rural Women’s Assembly, Mary Sakala highlighted the devastating impacts of green revolution policies on farmers.
"We used to grow diverse crops. But now governments and agribusiness have pushed farmers into monoculture that depends on inputs. Their programmes have made us all vulnerable," Sakala said.
Demand For Compensation
During the briefing, African Faith Leaders spoke extensively on plans to issue an open letter to the Gates Foundation on the extent of damages caused by AGRA’s aggressive push for industrialised agriculture.
The letter, already endorsed by over 157 civil society and farmer groups indicated that Gates foundation and other funders should immediately cease funding AGRA.
Other requests were that the foundation should provide reparations by resourcing agroecology initiatives and community-led efforts such as scaling up the organic input supply chain, participatory farmer-led research, and community seed banking.
Bishop Takalani Isaac Mufamadi of Southern African Faith Communities' Environment Institute (SAFCEI) noted that it is time for international funders to transition towards agroecology through respecting and supporting locally defined holistic approaches in Africa, by Africa.
When asked how much compensation the faith leaders are requesting from Gates foundation, he said: "It takes long to restore damaged lands. Not only lands are affected but the economy. We need to do extensive research of the damaged land to come up with the cost."
AGRA's Wobbly Agenda
AGRA recognised that developing smallholder agriculture into a productive, efficient, and sustainable system is essential to ensuring food security, lifting millions out of poverty, and driving equitable growth across the continent.
From its headquarters in Kenya, a team of African scientists, economists and business leaders supports its country operations as well as African governments. The organisation has offices in 11 African countries, under the management of country leads, who oversee the deployment of the organisation's national strategy.
As an African-led institution, it is focused on scaling agricultural innovations that assist smallholder farmers towards increased incomes, better livelihoods, and improved food security.
Information obtained from AGRA's website indicated that African farmers need uniquely African solutions to environmental and agricultural challenges to boost food production and gain access to rapidly growing agricultural markets.
With its mission to transform the lives of smallholder farmers, AGRA was founded on core mandate of contributing to a food system-inspired inclusive agricultural transformation across Africa, meant to reduce hunger, improve nutrition, and adapt to climate change.
Since 2006, the organisation has collaborated with governments, non-governmental organisations and private sector businesses and to deliver a set of proven solutions to smallholder farmers and indigenous African agricultural enterprises.
"We put smallholder farmers first on the agenda, recognising that no country has moved from low income to middle income without agricultural transformation," the website revealed.
Despite the intent of setting up AGRA, farmers are yelling that its agricultural policies are backfiring by degrading Africa’s soil and biodiversity.
Nigeria's Green Revolution
In Nigeria, the green revolution programme was inaugurated by Shehu Shagari in April 1980. Its fundamental objective was to increase the production of food and raw materials in order to guarantee food security.
With support from AGRA’s Hub for Agricultural Policy Action (HAPA), a team from the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development embarked on a tour to Kenya from May 16 to 20, 2022.
The crux of the tour was for the team to study Kenya’s storage infrastructure, management models for public-private-partnership, institutional design, social safety nets, price stabilisation mechanisms, and appropriate Strategic Food Reserves (SFR) model.
Recall that the disruptions on food systems caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, and Russia-Ukraine crisis were some of the issues that triggered discuss on SFR in Africa.
The tour was also part of the ministry’s request for AGRA's technical assistance, as Nigeria sought to build its grain reserves and develop strategic food stocks for timely response in times of food security crisis.
Findings by News Rider revealed that Nigeria's team was drawn from Food and Strategic Reserves Department and was led by the immediate past Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr. Enerst Umakhihe.
Umakhihe, who is a professional accountant and administrator served as the permanent secretary from 2021 to January 2, 2024.
After a meeting with AGRA's President, Dr. Agnes Kalibata on the first day of the tour, the team also visited Kenya's Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Co-operatives; National Cereals and Produce Board (NCPB), the Warehouse Receipt System Council (WRSC) and East African Grain Council (EAGC).
Umakhihe noted that maize and sorghum, which were the main crops under the strategic grains reserve in Nigeria, were challenged due to budgetary constraints and fluctuations in prices.
One of the team’s key interests in the tour was the Warehouse Receipt System (WRS), which Kenya has been operating for the last two years. Nigeria intends to establish a WRS as it reforms its SFR strategy.
A Warehouse Receipt System (WRS) enables farmers to deposit storable goods usually grains or coffee in exchange for a Warehouse Receipt (WR). A WR is a document issued by warehouse operators as evidence that specified commodities of stated quantity and quality were deposited at a particular location.
With WRS, farmers can access financial support using the warehouse receipt as exchange for purchasing agricultural inputs.
Although there is no institutionalised warehouse receipt system, as well as legal and regulatory framework in Nigeria but the Federal Government attempted to establish a WRS in 2013.
To ensure food sufficiency, stakeholders have advocated the need for more investment in WRS to reduce food waste and post-harvest loss in Nigeria.
A farmer in Abaji Area Council, one of Abuja's rural community, Mr Danlami Gwamna pleaded that the Federal Government should provide adequate security for farmers, as banditry, kidnapping and insurgency were the reasons that agriculture declined across the country especially in the North.
However, AGRA in partnership with EAGC supported Kenya’s Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Co-operatives to develop regulations and other institutional frameworks to make the WRS operational and effective.
Call To Action
Given the looming crisis in Africa's food system, AFSA has sought for urgent resistance against the corporate-driven agricultural model that prioritises profit over people and the planet.
This is even as AFSA enjoined all stakeholders to ensure that policy decisions reflected Africa’s farmers’ needs, not the interests of multinational corporations, adding that the future of African agriculture must be guided by those who cultivate the land.
As some African countries battle with insecurity, farmlands should be protected from insurgents and subversive forces that limit food production, which ultimately translated to high cost of food in the markets.
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