Competing narratives for the future of agriculture in Africa

In this session, we will discuss about the competing narratives for transforming African agriculture/ food system. In the West, everyone has a solution for Africa. They propose a Green Revolution and other failing and destructive approach to food, agriculture, and the environment into Africa must be challenged. And it has been challenged. Agroecology is a realistic strategy for improving our nutrition, increasing production, enhancing biodiversity, raising resilience, and boosting farmer income.

with Million Belay

Date: Tuesday November 2nd of 2021

Time: 14:00 (UTC/GMT)

Duration: 90 minutes

Download: [ Video ] (823Mb) | [ Audio only ] (60Mb)

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In the West, everyone has a solution for Africa. Philanthrocapitalists like Bill Gates, Western governments, aid organizations, embassies, colleges, corporations, and certain members of our governments are pushing industrial agriculture on us. They are spending billions to sway governments and turn Africa into a dumpsite for agrochemicals, genetically modified organisms, and outdated technology.

They propose a Green Revolution and point to India as an example of success. Yet the truth is that India's Green Revolution was never the raging triumph that its proponents claimed, as ongoing farmer protests demonstrate. In India, the Green Revolution has primarily benefited wealthy farmers, put millions of farmers into debt, degraded their environment, affected their health, and eroded their seed and culture. The Green Revolution there has been a colossal disaster.

This importation of this failing and destructive approach to food, agriculture, and the environment into Africa must be challenged. And it has been challenged.

Yet agroecology is a realistic strategy for improving our nutrition, increasing production, enhancing biodiversity, raising resilience, and boosting farmer income. But the West has made very little investment in agroecology in Africa because the goal is to take Africa down the path of industrial agriculture. This must end.

About the presenter

Million Belay

Million Belay coordinates the Alliance for Food Sovereignty for Africa, a network of networks of major networks in Africa. He is a member of the International Panel of Experts on the Sustainable of Food Systems (IPES-Food). Million is a founder of MELCA – Ethiopia, an indigenous NGO working on issues of agro-ecology, intergenerational learning, advocacy and livelihood improvement of local and indigenous peoples.