Merci Irakoze' Final Project

Merci Irakoze                                                                         

Agriculture

5/1/17

Growing Africa’s Agriculture

As nations around the world are calculating how to end world hunger,  The Gates Foundation is playing a huge role as a solution to this problem, as it is leading the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa ( AGRA). This is a private organization owned by Bill and Melinda Gates which was founded in 2006.  The paradigm of this foundation is free market for its goal is to make sure there is food and health security in developing countries mostly located in Africa. It believes that  one way to reduce hunger in Africa is by investing in agriculture. This organization works across Africa to help millions of smallholder farmers (who make up 70% of Africa’s population) to boost their farm productivity and income.

AGRA is supporting more than 400 projects, including efforts to develop and deliver better seeds, increase farm yields, improve soil fertility, and upgrade storage facilities. Such paradigm influence how the foundation approach to development for there is no government intervention. Though this organization is working with 14 countries in Africa, there are still other countries that have refused to accept it. Countries like Zambia have declared since in 2000 to ban GMOs. Despite the great famine that has come upon the country, the government has refused to allow genetically modified seeds into the country. Since the AGRA is funded by the Bill Gates Foundation, it is more likely to have GMO seeds; therefore the country decided to reject its offer as well. Nonetheless, for its opposition, it seems like the approach the Gates  Foundation is taking a Top-Down development for most of the organization relies on the Gates Foundation. If the Foundation would to stop supporting these organizations, most of them would die. Also many farmers in developing countries depends on GMO seeds. “People in the U.S. need to help us produce, not give us food and seeds.  They’re ruining our chance to support ourselves,” said farmer Jonas Deronzil of a peasant cooperative in the rural region of Verrettes.[5] What AGRA is doing is providing seeds to small farmers on loans that will take years to pay back, which later cause dependency on the organization to always provide seeds, instead of teaching the farmers how to produce their own. Though these seeds are mostly drought resistances, AGRA does not provide inform most farmers what GMO seeds really are.

Citations

Bell, B. (2010, May 17). Haitian Farmers Commit to Burning Monsanto Hybrid Seeds. Retrieved April 20, 2016, from http://otherworldsarepossible.org/haitian-farmers-co

mmit-burning-monsanto-hybrid-seeds

Lopatto, E. (n.d.). Can GOMS End Hunger in Africa? Retrieved April 24, 2016, from http://www.theverge.com/2015/2/18/8056163/bill-gates-gmo-farming-world-hunger-africa-poverty

Reiff, D. (2008, October 10). A Green Revolution for Africa? Retrieved April 24, 2016, from http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/12/magazine/12wwln-shah-t.html?pagewanted=all&_r=1

Silver, C. (2013, February 24). In the ring: Monsanto and the farmer. Retrieved April 20, 2016, from http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2013/02/2013