Sometimes "doing good" in Africa borders on "doing evil".
The Bill and Melinda Gates and Rockefeller Foundations fund an addiction to GM and chemical fertilizers in 3 African countries.
CNFA, Inc a Washington DC based enterprise and development organization announced that they were awarded a US$13.1 million grant from Green Revolution for Africa (AGRA) to implement a comprehensive agrodealer support program in Kenya, Malawi and Tanzania. AGRA is a new partnership established by the Bill and Melinda Gates and Rockefeller Foundations.
The grant is to help millions of small-scale farmers in the region through establishing and training village based agrodealers to provide "locally adapted" seed and fertilizer. This in theory will help lift millions of families out of poverty and hunger. The project will develop 1000 Kenyan, 600 Malawian and 800 Tanzanian agrodealers to convert 1,6 million rural farming households to GM seed and chemical fertilizer. This all sounds good - so what's the problem?
Like so many well-intentioned projects here in Africa there is a very dark, materialist, a new economic colonialism of Africa intention behind these well-crafted good words.
GM seed requires chemical fertilizer to grow. Both cost money. Once a farmer starts down the road of using GM seeds and chemical-based fertilizer they are addicted. It's almost impossible for them to get off this addiction. Training 2400 agro-addiction dealers to "hook" the uninformed and innocent 1,6 million East African families so desperate for any economic lifeline, is downright evil.
There is only one long-term winner here - the US chemical and GM seed manufacturers.
Central and East Africa is the "organic" breadbasket of Africa. Organic farming is about soil health, which means plant health, which directly translates into healthy humans, and ultimately leads to a healthy planet. Brazil pioneered the way in fighting poverty and hunger with their organic and bio-fuel growing programs. Brazil has created almost 2 million new dignified paying jobs. Columbia and Argentina are following this winning formula.
In Europe, like the United States, more people have turned to organic products. The trend has moved on from organic vegetables to processed foods, clothing, beauty products and alcohol. Most of these sectors grew between 15 and 30%. The organic market has grown at 27% in Germany and Italy over the past 10 years. These two markets have seen a 400% growth in land been converted to organic production over the same period. Compare these impressive numbers to the mere 2% growth that produce grown with GM seed and chemical fertilizers are achieving today.
Here in Africa, Kenya has created 1 million new jobs growing flowers, and 2 million more growing vegetables for the European markets - most of which is organically grown and commands a premium.
There is a global shortage of organic cotton which up until recently commanded a 100% premium over conventional cotton (production using GM and chemical fertilizers). This gap has narrowed to only a 60% premium as so much more organic cotton is coming on line. Uganda alone has 35,000 organically certified cotton farmers and another 15,000 in conversion. This is not a good picture for the chemical companies.
With the premiums, the growth in the worldwide organic market, the soil, human and environmental health of Africa why are the Bill and Melinda Gates and Rockefeller Foundations so excited to fund 2400 agro-addiction dealers into this pristine (already naturally organic) African garden of Eden?
How did the well-funded chemical producers get to these Foundations and sell them such a cleaver, devious and self-interest money-making proposition?
How have the custodians of doing the right thing got it so wrong?
David Wolstenholme
Managing Director
Organic Freedom Project
A registered non-profit section 21 company devoted to job creation and furthering the production of organic products
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