Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa

Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) is an organization promoting a second Green Revolution, this time in Africa. It was founded in 2006 by the Rockefeller Foundation and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. AGRA has been the subject of controversy and criticism both in the U.S. and in Africa. The organization Community Alliance for Global Justice is a leading critic of AGRA with its project AGRA Watch. At the 2011 World Social Forum in Dakar, Senegal, Africans marching behind a banner for the group Fahamu were seen holding signs that said, "No to AGRA," and "Non a la Revolution Verte AGRA." The interim founding president in 2006 was Gary H. Toenniessen.

AGRA describes itself as "African-led." However, the board of directors - led by an African, Kofi Annan - consists of five Africans and five non-Africans. The organization's funders, which hold significant power over the activities of AGRA, are American foundations.

AGRA in Their Own Words
In their own words, the organization is:
 * "a dynamic, African-led partnership working across the African continent to help millions of small-scale farmers and their families lift themselves out of poverty and hunger. AGRA programs develop practical solutions to significantly boost farm productivity and incomes for the poor while safeguarding the environment. AGRA advocates for policies that support its work across all key aspects of the African agricultural “value chain”—from seeds, soil health, and water to markets and agricultural education. AGRA is chaired by Kofi A. Annan, the former Secretary-General of the United Nations. AGRA, with initial support from the Rockefeller Foundation and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, maintains offices in Nairobi, Kenya and Accra, Ghana.

They continue, saying:
 * "In addition, we will work in close partnership with the Africa Union and its New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD), and with other African development institutions (national and regional) to achieve our goals. AGRA strongly endorses the framework set out by NEPAD’s Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP), which aims for a sustained 6 percent annual growth in agricultural production by 2015."

AGRA's Crop Breeding Programs
The core of AGRA's crop breeding program is called the Programme for Africa's Seeds Systems (PASS). For more information, see the article on AGRA's Programme for Africa's Seeds Systems.

Statement on Plant Breeding and Genetic Engineering

 * "The Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) supports the use of science and technology—in everything from field-based soil ecology to cyberspace-based market information systems—to aid Africa’s smallholder farmers in their urgent efforts to end widespread poverty and hunger.


 * "An important AGRA initiative is the development of new crop varieties that will withstand pests and disease; cope with drought, marginal soils and other environmental stresses; and dramatically increase farmers’ yields. Only with sustainable increases in farm productivity will smallholder farmers be able to feed themselves and their families, end widespread hunger, produce a marketable surplus, and stimulate economic growth.


 * "Our goal is to develop 1000 new varieties as rapidly as possible, using conventional breeding and participatory methods in which plant breeders work closely with farmers to develop varieties with the traits farmers need.


 * "AGRA is not at this time funding the development of new varieties through the use of genetic engineering. We have chosen to focus on conventional breeding techniques—which can be quite technologically sophisticated—for two main reasons:


 * We know that conventional methods of plant breeding can produce significant benefits in the near term at relatively low cost. Until now, however, conventional plant breeding has not received sufficient attention or investment in Africa, leaving untapped the inherent genetic potential available in African crops. With improved seeds produced through conventional breeding methods, plant scientists and farmers could readily raise average cereal yields from one tonne to two tonnes per hectare—making a major contribution toward ending hunger and poverty in Africa.
 * Conventional crop breeding fits within the regulatory frameworks now in place in most African countries, enabling relatively rapid dissemination to farmers of the new varieties they desire.


 * "Therefore, conventional breeding is our starting point. However, we also know that science and society are continually evolving. AGRA itself will be funding initiatives that strengthen Africa’s scientific capacity at a number of levels. We do not preclude future funding for genetic engineering as an approach to crop variety improvement when it is the most appropriate tool to address an important need of small-scale farmers and when it is consistent with government policy.


 * "Our mission is not to advocate for or against the use of genetic engineering. We believe it is up to governments, in partnership with their citizens, to use the best knowledge available to put in place policies and regulations that will guide the safe development and acceptable use of new technologies, as several African countries are in the process of doing. We will consider funding the development and deployment of such new technologies only after African governments have endorsed and provided for their safe use.


 * "Our mission is to use the wide variety of tools and techniques available now to make a dramatic difference for Africa’s smallholder farmers as quickly as possible."

AGRA's Soil Health Program
In January 2008, the Gates and Rockefeller Foundations committed a total of US$180 million ($164.5 from the Gates Foundation and $15 million from the Rockefeller Foundation) to a new Soil Health Program. According to the group's press release: "AGRA’s Soil Health Program will foster widespread adoption of Integrated Soil Fertility Management (ISFM). The ISFM strategy involves assessing local soil and water resources and considering how organic matter, fertilizers, farmer cropping systems, and farmer knowledge can work in concert to create highly productive and environmentally sustainable approaches to soil revitalization." For more information, see the article on AGRA's Soil Health Program.

Directors

 * Chairman: Kofi A. Annan, former Secretary-General of the United Nations
 * Mohamed Ibrahim, Founder of the telecommunications company Celtel
 * Monty Jones, Executive Secretary of the Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa
 * Strive Masiyiwa, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Econet Wireless International
 * Sylvia Mathews Burwell, President of the Global Development Program at The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
 * Moise C. Mensah, Former Minister of Finance of Benin; Former Assistant President of the International Fund for Agricultural Development
 * Rudy Rabbinge, Professor at Wageningen University and one of the main authors of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Prof Rabbinge is currently the chairman of the CGIAR Science Council.
 * Judith Rodin, President, Rockefeller Foundation
 * Roy Steiner, Deputy Director, Global Development Program of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
 * Nadya K. Shmavonian, President of Public/Private Ventures

Former board members:
 * Mamphela Ramphele
 * Rajiv J. Shah

AGRA Officers and International Staff
Office of the Chairman:
 * Special Advisor to the Chairman: Tesfai Tecle

Office of the President: Farmer Organization Support Centre (FOSCA):
 * Namanga Ngongi, President
 * Margaret M Kroma, Program Officer, Gender and Agriculture and Special Assistant to the President
 * Richard Boadi, General Council and Secretary to the Board Secretary
 * Alma Redillas Dolot, Head of Internal Audit Unit
 * Sylvia Mwichuli, Director, Communications and Public Affairs
 * Franck Attere, AGRA Country Officer, Francophone West Africa
 * André Bationo, Senior Resource Mobilization, Africa
 * Maggie Kamau-Biruri, Program Officer, Resource Mobilization
 * Fadel Ndiame, FOSCA Lead Coordinator
 * Mary Njoroge, Program Officer, M & E and Knowledge Development
 * Pauline Kamau, Program Officer, Service Providers
 * Samuel Sey (SS), Program Officer, Service Providers

Office of the Vice President, Policy and Partnerships:
 * Augustine Langyintuo, Program Officer, Seeds and Fertilizer Policies (currently Officer in Charge, Policy and Partnerships)
 * John A. Wakiumu, Program Officer, Innovative Finance, Policy and Partnerships
 * Nixon Bugo, Program Officer, Innovative Finance, Policy and Partnerships
 * Maria Mulindi, Associate Program Officer, Civil Society, Advocacy & Partnerships

Strategy, Monitoring and Evaluation: Program Officer – Monitoring & Evaluation
 * David Ameyaw, Director, Strategy, Monitoring & Evaluation
 * Samuel Amanquah, Program Officer, Monitoring & Evaluation
 * Barbara Bamanya, Program Officer, Monitoring & Evaluation
 * Richard Michael Mwanza, Program Officer, Strategy & Proposal Development
 * Emmanuel R. Rutsimba, Program Officer, Monitoring and Evaluation (attached to Soil Health Program)
 * Seth Abu-Bonsrah, Program Officer, Monitoring & Evaluation

Program for Africa's Seed Systems:
 * Joseph DeVries, Director, Program for Africa's Seed Systems
 * George Bigirwa, Senior Program Officer, Program for Africa's Seed System
 * Jane Ininda, Program Officer, Crop Improvement and Farmer Variety Adoption
 * Issoufou Kapran, Program Officer, Seed Production and Dissemination
 * Rufaro Madakadze, Program Officer, Education and Training
 * Kehinde O. Makinde, Program Officer, Agro-dealer Development and Country Officer, Ghana
 * Fred Muhhuku, Program Officer, Agro-dealer Development and Country Officer, Tanzania
 * Aboubacar Touré, Program Officer, Crop Improvement and Farmer Variety Adoption

Market Access Program:
 * Anne Mbaabu, Director, Market Access Program
 * Stephen Kiuri Njukia, Senior Program Officer, Market Access Program
 * Matiéyédou Konlambigue, Program Officer, Market Access Program

Soil Health Program:
 * Bashir Jama, Director, Soil Health Program and Director, Accra Office
 * Rebbie Harawa, Program Officer, Soil Health Research & Extension
 * Amatévi Raoul Klutsé, Program Officer, Fertilizer Business Development
 * Argent Chuula, Program Officer, Fertilizer Business Development and Country Officer, Mozambique
 * Marie Rarieya, Program Officer, Training and Education

Operations Department:
 * Kwame Akuffo-Akoto, Chief Operating Officer
 * N. Vuhya Amulyoto, Human Resources and Administration Manager
 * Jared Odhingo, Finance Manager
 * Ignatius Mutula, Grants Manager
 * Sylvester Kisonzo, Information Technology Services Manager

Special Initiatives:
 * André Dellevoet, Executive Manager, African Enterprise Challenge Fund (AECF)
 * Hiroshi Hiraoka, Coordinator, Coalition for African Rice Development

Critiques

 * Eric Holt-Gimenez, Miguel A. Altieri, and Peter Rosset, "Ten Reasons Why the Rockefeller and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundations’ Alliance for Another Green Revolution Will Not Solve the Problems of Poverty and Hunger in Sub-Saharan Africa", Food First/Institute for Food and Development Policy, October 2006, Food First Policy Brief No. 12.
 * Michael Barker, "Bill Gates Engineers Another Green Revolution (Part 3 of 3)", Znet, August 8, 2008.
 * Raj Patel, Eric Holt-Gimenez & Annie Shattuck, "Ending Africa's Hunger", The Nation, September 2, 2009.

Funding
According to AGRA in June 2009:
 * "AGRA’s main funding partners are the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, The Rockefeller Foundation, and the UK’s Department for International Development (DFID). A number of additional partners have joined to launch complementary initiatives. DFID, The Consultative Group to Assist the Poor (CGAP), IFAD, and The Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs (NMFA) joined with AGRA to launch the African Enterprise Challenge Fund (AECF). JICA is a strategic partner with AGRA on the Coalition for African Rice Development (CARD)."

The Rockefeller Foundation has provided the following grants to AGRA:
 * January 2007: $50,000,000
 * December 2007: $46,463
 * January 2008: $15,000,000
 * January 2008: $2,000,000
 * October 2011: $5,000,000
 * Total: $72,046,463

The Gates Foundation has provided the following grants to AGRA:
 * December 2006: $100,000,000
 * October 2007: $164,580,000
 * October 2008: $15,000,000
 * September 2009: $15,000,000
 * May 2010: $6,700,000
 * September 2010: $28,000,000
 * Total: $329,280,000

Contact

 * Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa
 * Eden Square
 * Block 1, 5th Floor
 * P.O. Box 66773
 * Westlands 00800
 * Nairobi, Kenya
 * Ph: +254 20 3675 000/ 254 20 703 033 000
 * Fax: +254 20 3750 653
 * Email: info@agra-alliance.org
 * Web: http://www.agra-alliance.org

Related Sourcewatch

 * Second Green Revolution
 * Gates Foundation
 * Kofi Annan
 * Fertilizer Use in Africa

External Articles

 * Namanga Ngongi, "Keynote Speech," International Conference on Innovations in Extension and Advisory Services: Linking Knowledge to Policy and Action for Food and Livelihoods, November 15-18, 2011, Nairobi, Kenya.
 * Kofi Annan, "Delivering Global Food and Nutrition Security – the Challenge of our Time," Speech given before the FAO.
 * Bill Gates, "Bill Gates speaks out about helping small farmers gain access to reliable markets," Speech before the Chicago Council on Global Affairs.
 * Danielle Nierenberg, "Looking for a Greener Revolution: Visit to AGRA," Nourishing the Planet, Worldwatch Institute.
 * Danielle Nierenberg, "AGRA Sets the Record Straight," Nourishing the Planet, Worldwatch Institute.
 * "Another silver bullet for Africa?," GRAIN, September 22, 2006.
 * Raffaella Delle Donne, "Seeking Diversity, Resilience and Farmer Control," Inter Press Service News.