Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa

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Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) is an organisation that seeks to transform African agriculture from a subsistence model to strong businesses that improve the livelihoods of the continent’s farming households.[1][2]

AGRA is headquartered in Nairobi, Kenya, from where a team of African scientists, economists and business leaders supports its country operations and African governments. It was funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the Rockefeller Foundation.[3]

The institution also has offices in 11 African countries, under the management of country leads, who oversee the deployment of the organisation’s national strategy.[4]

History[]

AGRA was founded in 2006 as an Africa-based and -led organization that works within the Comprehensive Africa Agricultural Development Program (CAADP), Africa's policy framework for agricultural transformation, wealth creation, food security and nutrition, economic growth and prosperity.[5][6]

Former UN Secretary General, the Late Kofi Annan, was the organization’s first chairman and he served until 2013 when Econet Wireless Founder Strive Masiyiwa took over.[5][7] Masiyiwa’s term ended in 2019. He was succeeded by former Ethiopian Prime Minister H.E. Hailemariam Desalegn.[8]

AGRA has 211 employees from 24 nationalities of whom 42% are female and 58% male. About 61% of AGRA’s workers are technical staff.[9] The organization is led by President Dr. Agnes Kalibata, who has held the office since 2014. She is deputized by Dr. Fadel Ndiame.[10][11]

AGRA is among the key conveners of the annual Africa Green Revolution Forum (AGRF), a gathering that brings together presidents, heads of state and government, ministers, scientists, farmers, private sector payers and members of the civil society to chart the way forward for African agriculture. The AGRF is now its 11th year.[12]

Countries of Operation[]

In its current strategy, AGRA has prioritized 11 countries in three agro-ecologies:[13][14]

  • The Guinea Savannah Zone: Ghana, Nigeria, Mali and Burkina Faso
  • The East African Highlands: Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda and Tanzania
  • The Miombo Woodland: Malawi and Mozambique

Strategy[]

AGRA's strategy is to double the yields and incomes of 30 million smallholder households in 11 countries by the end of 2021.[15] The organization’s impact is felt by:

  • 9 million smallholder farmer households, who are witnessing increased food security through AGRA’s direct interventions.
  • 21 million smallholder farmer households that are benefiting indirectly from AGRA’s partnerships, support to governments and Investments that unlock the engagement and power of the private sector.[16]

According to the AGRA’s Half-Year 2020 M&E Progress Report,[16] 10.14 million farmers (76% of target) are benefitting from extension activities and 7.72 million farmers adopted improved and yield enhancing technologies. Farmers benefitting from AGRA’s support now reported an increase in the number of months with sufficient food supply from 9.2 in 2016 to 11 months in 2019.

Strategic Interventions[]

AGRA’s strategy is delivered through interventions in four priority areas; input systems, resilience building, innovative finance, and policy/country support.[17]

Input systems

Working with both public and private sector players to develop the systems required for the sustained availability, delivery and adoption of improved seeds and fertilizer with a focus on getting these inputs into the hands of farmers.[18]

Resilience building

Promoting interventions that enhance the resilience of the production system to climate change and climate variability. This is achieved by developing more efficient marketing systems, introducing post-harvest technologies to close yield gaps and ensure farmers can sustainably sell quality to consumer markets.[19]

Innovative finance

Enabling local agri-businesses to access markets, support local and national financial institutions. This includes providing affordable financing to smallholder farmers and local SMEs.[20][21]

Policy and country support

Supporting governments in the 11 focus countries to strengthen the national capacities to deepen and sustain the gains made through policy decisions and encourage significant investments of public resources into the agriculture sector.

Strategic partners[]

AGRA is primarily guided by its partners across the continent, starting with the leadership of African states through the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) coordination under the Malabo declaration.[22][23] AGRA works closely with African governments, particularly in its eleven countries of operation, to whom it is accountable under national ownership of development leadership and governance. AGRA works under national development plans and National Agriculture Investment Plans (NAIPs). It also works in partnership with other national actors in the private sector, farmers organizations, the academic and research community, and civil society.[24]

Projects[]

Critiques[]

A "Voices From Africa" conference has suggested that AGRA was planned without African voices, and imposes quick-fix technological solutions on complex and historically deep social issues, that it will impose a regime in which farmers lose power over their own seeds and are forced to buy them back from large corporations year after year. This system may also contribute to the marginalization of women.[27][28] The conference compiled a set of papers containing various arguments:

  • The Foundation's plan for Africa involves the production of cash crops which can be sold on the global market. This may leave countries unable to produce food for themselves, and dependent on fluctuations in the global market.[citation needed]
  • Some worry that AGRA will push genetic use restriction technology on African farmers, again leaving them dependent on outside companies for new seeds.[citation needed][29][30]
  • Some critics have said that AGRA misrepresents Africa by cherry-picking spokespeople to support one viewpoint on genetically modified crops.[citation needed]
  • Some technologies promoted by AGRA may create dependence on herbicides, which raises the possibility of super-weeds.[citation needed]
  • Hunger in Africa results more from poverty than from actual food shortages; people will not be able to buy any additional food that gets produced without larger systemic changes.[citation needed][31]

Most of these papers call for local control and food sovereignty as an alternative.

Other sources, including the African Centre for Biosafety, Intl. and The Guardian, have reported that the Gates Foundation, allied with Monsanto and Cargill, plans to aggressively promote strains of genetically modified soy in Mozambique and beyond.[32]

A conference titled "Living With the Gates Foundation" contained some criticism of Gates Foundation sponsorship. One author suggested that the foundation's influence on media and global health was so great it could chill almost all criticism.[33]

Publications[]

Africa Agriculture Status Report – An annual publication highlighting the major trends in African agriculture, the drivers of those trends, and the emerging challenges that Africa's food systems face.[34]

Food Security Monitor – A monthly publication providing the food security outlook in AGRA’s focus countries of around Africa.[35]

AGRA Annual Reports.[36]

References[]

  1. ^ Toenniessen, Gary; Adesina, Akinwumi; DeVries, Joseph (2008). "Building an alliance for a green revolution in Africa". Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences. 1136: 233–242. doi:10.1196/annals.1425.028. ISSN 0077-8923. PMID 18579885.
  2. ^ "Boosting African Agriculture: New AGRA-World Bank Agreement to Support Farming-Led Transformation". World Bank. Retrieved 2021-06-15.
  3. ^ "Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa". The Rockefeller Foundation. Retrieved 2021-06-15.
  4. ^ "Africa seeks the cooperation of Latin America and the Caribbean in the areas of export development, soil recovery and reforestation". IICA.INT. Retrieved 2021-06-15.
  5. ^ Jump up to: a b "New Agriculturist: News brief - Kofi Annan leads Africa's new 'Green Revolution'". www.new-ag.info. Retrieved 2021-05-06.
  6. ^ "The farmers' voice in agricultural development". Alliance magazine. Retrieved 2021-05-06.
  7. ^ "Strive Masiyiwa - Chair Emeritus". Nutrition International. Retrieved 2021-05-06.
  8. ^ "Ex-Ethiopian PM on why Rwanda was named new home for continental agric body". The New Times | Rwanda. 2019-11-26. Retrieved 2021-05-06.
  9. ^ "MESSAGE FROM OUR PRESIDENT – AGRA Annual Report 2019". Retrieved 2021-05-06.
  10. ^ Nations, United. "Leadership". United Nations. Retrieved 2021-05-06.
  11. ^ "IBRAF is going to develop a leadership program in partnership with the Alliance for the Green Revolution in Africa - IBRAF | Brazil Africa Institute | Instituto Brasil África". 2020-01-30. Retrieved 2021-05-06.
  12. ^ "AGRF Virtual Summit 2020". AGRF. Retrieved 2021-05-11.
  13. ^ "GAIN and AGRA to partner for food and nutrition security". Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN). Retrieved 2021-05-28.
  14. ^ "Focus Countries". AGRA. Retrieved 2021-05-28.
  15. ^ Kim, Sung Kyu (2020-10-13). "Does the African Green Revolution include smallholder farmers?". STEPS Centre. Retrieved 2021-06-09.
  16. ^ Jump up to: a b "AGRA half-year 2020 M&E Progress Report" (PDF). United States Agency for International Development. Retrieved 2021-06-09.
  17. ^ Communities, Africa Business. "Microsoft collaborates with AGRA to digitize agriculture in 11 African countries". Africa Business Communities. Retrieved 2021-06-21.
  18. ^ "New partnership inked with AGRA to boost improved technology uptake in Africa's agriculture – ICRISAT". www.icrisat.org. Retrieved 2021-06-21.
  19. ^ Mboga, Jael. "AGRA, Microsoft in new deal to solve agriculture problems using technology - FarmKenya Initiative". Farm Kenya Initiative. Retrieved 2021-06-21.
  20. ^ Akinyi, Maureen. "AGRA financing model sees 230,000 farmers access loans - FarmKenya Initiative". Farm Kenya Initiative. Retrieved 2021-06-21.
  21. ^ "NIRSAL: CBN, AGRA new project to create affordable loans for small holder farmers". Vanguard News. 2011-07-24. Retrieved 2021-06-21.
  22. ^ "African Green Revolution – Theme 3". Future agricultures. Retrieved 2021-06-24.
  23. ^ "Malabo Declaration on Accelerated Agricultural Growth | AUDA-NEPAD". www.nepad.org. Retrieved 2021-06-24.
  24. ^ "Green Revolution in Africa Has Sown Agricultural Success, Report Finds". Philanthropy News Digest.
  25. ^ "Good news for cassava as new varieties to combat deadly viral diseases are officially released in Tanzania". Newstime Africa. 24 January 2012. Retrieved 5 February 2012.
  26. ^ Hultman, Tami (24 January 2012). "Africa: Aid Can Spur 'Historic Progress' - Bill Gates". AllAfrica. Retrieved 5 February 2012.
  27. ^ Austin-Evelyn, Katherine (16 June 2011). "The 'keepers of seed': The impact of the 'Green Revolution' in Africa on female farmers". Consultancy Africa Intelligence. Retrieved 2 February 2012.
  28. ^ Melissa Moore (2011). Anuradha Mittal (ed.). Voices From Africa (PDF). Oakland: Oakland Institute. Retrieved 2 February 2012.
  29. ^ "Programmed to kill". www.downtoearth.org.in. Retrieved 2021-02-20.
  30. ^ Shiva, Vandana; Emani, Ashok; Jafri, Afsar H. (1999). "Globalisation and Threat to Seed Security: Case of Transgenic Cotton Trials in India". Economic and Political Weekly. 34 (10/11): 601–613. ISSN 0012-9976.
  31. ^ Holt-Giménez, Eric. "Ten Reasons Why AGRA Will not Solve Poverty and Hunger in Africa" (PDF). foodfirst.org. Retrieved 21 February 2021.
  32. ^ Vidal, John (29 September 2010). "Why is the Gates foundation investing in GM giant Monsanto?". The Guardian. Retrieved 5 February 2012.
  33. ^ Ogden, Timothy (1 September 2011). "How much difference is it making?" (PDF). Alliance Magazine. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-04-03. Retrieved 2 February 2012.
  34. ^ "Africa Agriculture Status Report 2020 Launched". massp.ifpri.info. Retrieved 2021-07-09.
  35. ^ "Food Security Monitor". AGRA. Retrieved 2021-07-09.
  36. ^ "Annual Reports". AGRA. Retrieved 2021-07-09.

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