How philanthropists are destroying African farms

In 2006, Bill Gates and a number of other philanthropists launched an ambitious plan to revolutionize farming in Africa. Now, taken at face value, that sounds like a good thing. The Africans, I think, will choose to let their people have have enough to eat.

But it's actually created a new reliance as well as a whole host of other problems such as outlawing centuries old traditional farming methods, forcing farmers to be dependent on western corporations and creating a biodiversity crisis. And the really crazy thing is this isn't the first attempt at a westernled green revolution in developing countries. We've been here before and the last time it didn't end well.

A similar project in India led to mass bankruptcies and an epidemic of suicides across the country. So why are philanthropists meddling in developing countries farming once again? For as long as farming has existed, African farmers have saved, swapped, and shared seeds, a money-free system that's provided over 90% of the seeds they plant.

There are an estimated 33 million small-cale farms across the continent, producing around 70% of Africa's food supply. This biodiverse, self- sustaining method has fed communities for generations. Despite these methods, Africa has struggled with poverty and hunger for centuries, and the reasons go far beyond agriculture.

19 of the world's 20 poorest nations are in Africa. In large part, this is a legacy of colonial exploitation which has stripped the continent of people and resources. Even after gaining independence, many African nations were left with weakened institutions, debt burdens, and trade systems that prioritize profits and exports over feeding local communities.

And it was against this backdrop in 2006 that the Bill and Meinda Gates Foundation and the Rockefeller Foundation launched the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa or Agra to boost farm productivity and help farmers and their families lift themselves out of poverty and hunger. Bill Gates believes that the key to solving the continent's hunger is in optimizing farming. For Africa, this is going to make a huge difference, particularly as they face climate change, the increased productivity and resilience of the seeds, most of which will come from the new scientific techniques.

You know, Kenya just approved a BT maze. The Europeans have decided they don't want to use it, most of them, which is fine. They're not facing malnutrition and starvation.

If they want to pay a premium for food of a kind, it it's not a huge deal. Agra now works in 13 African countries, aligning seed laws with its mission for Africa to feed itself and the world. But what does that actually mean in practice?

In Kenya, one of Agra's key focus countries, the 2012 Seed and Plant Varieties Act made it illegal to sell, share, or save uncertified seeds for commercial crops. Farmers can keep seeds for personal use, but those who trade them face fines of over £6,000 or up to 2 years in prison. And Kenya isn't alone.

Across the continent, new seed laws are forcing farmers to abandon their traditional practices and buy certified seeds from multinational corporations every planting season. But this model isn't new. Agra's approach was modeled on the green revolution in Asia and Latin America, which introduced high yield seeds, fertilizers, and pesticides to boost crop production in the 50s and 60s.

It was heavily funded by the Rockefeller Foundation started by America's first billionaire John D. Rockefeller. They hired scientist Norman Borlag, often called the father of the green revolution.

Borlag's high yield wheat varieties were hailed as a breakthrough and in 1970 he won a Nobel Peace Prize for his work. However, while these innovations averted food shortages in the short term, they led to long-term issues. In India, the green revolution replaced diverse crops with monocultures, which degraded soil and drained water supplies.

By the 1990s, the crisis had spiraled into an epidemic of farmer suicides as thousands trapped in debt from expensive seeds and fertilizers took their own lives. Critics argue that the same patterns are now being replicated across Africa. For a clear example, we can look to Zambia, once hailed as an Agra success story.

In 2009, the country launched subsidies to push over a million farmers to switch to commercial seeds and intensive fertilizer. But the country has since faced droughts which wiped out these non-traditional crops and the soil is so degraded from chemicals that farmers struggle to grow anything else. Over that period, the number of undernourished Zambians increased by 29%.

Today, 6 million Zambians, nearly a third of the population, face malnutrition. But there's an even bigger problem. The growing corporate grip on Africa's seeds.

Agra and its allies promote commercial seed laws that benefit a handful of corporations like Bio Monsanto, Sententa, and Dupant, which now control 60% of the world's seeds and nearly 70% of the chemicals used to grow food. The laws are also reinforced by UPOV 91, an international agreement that restricts farmers from saving or sharing seeds. The goal to give plantreeders exclusive rights to their seed varieties supposedly to boost innovation and food security.

But in reality, small-cale farmers can't even access that system. The certification process is too expensive and their seeds which naturally evolve to changing environments can't meet uniformity requirements. Meanwhile, Western corporations patent and profit from plant varieties that have existed for generations.

Agra's deep ties to Agri business giants has raised concerns as well. Rob Horsch, a former senior executive at Monsanto, helped shape Agra's policies while working at the Gates Foundation before retiring in 2021. In 2010, the Gates Foundation bought 500,000 shares in Monsanto, fueling speculation about its influence over African agriculture.

And yet, despite all this, Agra has failed to meet its own goals. It set out to cut food insecurity in half by 2020. But hunger has actually increased in many regions.

The good news is this isn't happening in silence. A number of countries in Africa have rejected GM crops and monocultures altogether. And in countries bringing in strict seed laws, farmers are fighting back.

In 2022, faith and farming leaders demanded the Gates Foundation pay reparations for the ecological and social damage caused by its green revolution policies. And one of the biggest challenges to these laws is happening right now in Kenya, where farmers have taken the Seed and Plant Varieties Act to court for violating their constitutional rights to practice traditional farming and to have sovereignty over their food. Thank you so much for watching.

And if you like videos like these about corporate overreach and exploitation, then check out my video about how Big Farmer games the patent system to keep drug prices high. and like and share the video as ever.