New investigation reveals how the Gates-funded Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) is reshaping African agricultural policy behind closed doors — and at great cost to farmers, food sovereignty, and democracy.
For over 15 years, AGRA has promised a productivity revolution for African farmers through its Green Revolution model: hybrid seeds, chemical fertilisers, and increased private sector involvement. But after billions in funding and years of field-level interventions, hunger remains high, soil fertility is declining, and the promised benefits have failed to materialise.
Now, a critical shift is underway. Following a damning 2022 evaluation of its impact, AGRA has pivoted away from working directly with farmers and is instead focusing its vast resources on influencing agricultural policy — not just nationally, but across the African continent.
This report, Questioning the Green Revolution, draws on original case studies from Zambia, Kenya, and key African Union processes, exposing how AGRA:
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Infiltrates national ministries with consultants who shape policies from within;
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Funds closed-door meetings that sideline smallholder voices and agroecological alternatives;
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Drives pro-corporate agendas favouring GMOs, fertiliser subsidies, and industrial-scale agribusiness;
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Undermines food sovereignty and the democratic development of homegrown agricultural strategies.
From Zambia’s controversial CATSP investment plan to the quiet co-optation of agroecology policies in Vihiga County, Kenya — and all the way to the Post-Malabo continental strategy — the findings raise serious questions about who is really writing Africa’s agricultural future, and whose interests these policies serve.
This is not just about AGRA. It is about the deeper struggle for Africa’s right to shape its own food systems — grounded in local knowledge, biodiversity, and ecological resilience.
🔍 Read the report. Share the findings. Join the movement for food sovereignty.
