20-24 Oct. 2009
 
Member groups of Friends of the Earth Africa, representatives of Friends of the Earth International (FoEI) Food Sovereignty Programme and Agrofuels Campaign, civil society groups, development experts, community representatives, farmers, government ministries and agencies, media representatives and consumer rights groups, among others, met in Abuja from 20-24 October 2009 at the conference on AGRA, Land Grabs and Non-Ecological Agriculture.
 
Participants, at the conference, hosted by the Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth Nigeria (ERA/FoEN) discussed the challenge posed by the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) - an initiative of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the Rockefeller Foundation - and the need to build knowledge and resistance to land grabs on the continent and other non-ecological agriculture that threaten African agriculture and food sovereignty.
   

In his welcome words, ERA/FoEN Executive Director, Nnimmo Bassey said that AGRA, and the GMO/Agrofuels initiatives promoted by big agribusinesses only aim to erode Africa’s traditional systems of farming and contaminate indigenous seeds in favour of engineered varieties.
 
Bassey noted that the convergence of all the agricultural initiatives of the biotechnology industry and their allies in the donor-driven research institutions towards Africa, is targeted at re-colonizing the continent and entrenching hunger by undermining its food sovereignty.
 
At the end of deliberations, participants observed that:
 
Enormous tracts of land on the African continent have been taken over by transnationals for agribusinesses, governments and individuals interested only in profits and not the improvement of smallholders’ livelihoods

Agricultural systems proposed by most donor /transnational agencies and implemented by African governments have so far proven to be unsustainable and not in the interest of small scale farmers. In the same way, discretionary powers on land vested on national governments in Africa have facilitated expropriation of community lands and retarded the growth of agriculture

A new form of colonialism driven by  transnational agribusinesses has been unleashed on the African continent that threatens livelihoods, ecological balance and portends new forms of resource conflicts on the continent
 
There is low public awareness on AGRA/GMO/Agrofuels and other initiatives promoted by the global North. Although AGRA claims they seek to support smallholder farmers, their supporters are incessantly pushing for the deployment of genetically modified crops into Africa.

GMOs have failed to produce promised results such as higher yields, producing more nutritious crops and reduction of chemical inputs, including herbicides

Up to 80 per cent of GMOs currently produced in the world are destined for animal feeds, not to fight hunger and malnutrition. Also the use of GMOs imply the use of a lot of agrochemicals which contaminate our food, lands, water and peoples.


African governments have failed to sufficiently fund farmers and indigenous solutions to boost farm yields. Instead, they hobnob with neo-liberal research institutions that promote alien solutions to traditional African problems

Agrofuels are false solution to climate change and are neither climate - friendly nor are they replacement for fossil fuels.

Women are marginalized on issues of land rights in virtually all parts of Africa and have been left out in key policy formulation and decision making

    Participants therefore strongly recommend :
•    There is urgent need for public debate/awareness on GMO/Agrofuels and AGRA

•    Africa should not be a dumping ground for unverified technologies such as genetically modified crops

•    Governments in Africa must initiate, implement and sustain policies that guarantee the protection of small scale farmers and provide them subsidies and needed inputs to ensure increased food production and general     food sovereignty
 
•    African governments must adequately fund local research to boost agricultural yields. They must also shun all donor-driven funds that will not support indigenous solutions to hunger in Africa
 
•    The capacity of local scientists must be built to strengthen home-grown approaches to agriculture that is  suitable for the environment and economy

•    The capacity of communities, journalists and food advocacy groups must be strengthened to enable them     adequately play their roles in public policy and decision making. The media must be allowed unfettered     access to information through initiation of laws that will guarantee freedom of information

•    There must be transparency in government dealings on biotechnology industry with citizens

•    Laws on land policy on the continent must be reviewed to eliminate all forms of diplomatic immunity and unnecessary privileges conferred on investors in community lands

•    Adoption of eco-friendly solutions that have proven far cheaper than so-called GM solutions that have only impoverished farmers and robbed them of livelihoods as verified cases in parts of Africa have shown   
 
     We demand that African governments take adequate steps to protect local farmers and the entirety of Africans from unhelpful schemes that have created hunger and food shortages on the continent.
    
    Civil society organizations should strengthen and support national and regional networks working against  AGRA and land grabs in Africa
 
    In conclusion, we are united in our opposition to land grabs, GMOs, Agrofuels, AGRA on the continent. wecall on all progressive minded peoples and organisations to support our call.
 
    Signatories:

•    Friends of the Earth International
•    Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth Nigeria (ERA/FoEN)
•    Friends of the Earth Sierra Leone
•    Friends of the Earth Malawi
•    Trade Network Initiative (TNI)
•    Nigeria Cassava Growers Association
•    Rice Farmers Association of Nigeria (RIFAN)
•    All Nigeria Consumers Movement Union (ANCOMU)
•    GRABE-Benin/African Biodiversity Network
•    Community Research and Development Centre
•    Food security, Policy and Advocacy Network , Food SPAN, Ghana
•    RAINS/ African Biodiversity Network
•    FONDATION CAMEROUNAISE D’ ACTIONS RATIONNALISEES ET DE FORMATION SUR L’ ENVIRONNEMENT (FOCARFE) Cameroun
•    Amis de la Terre – Togo
•    Committee on Vital Environmental Resources (COVER)
•    Envirocare
•    Women Environmental Programme (WEP)
•    Women’s Right to Education Programme, WREP
•    Friends of Nigerian Women
•    Equity Advocates
•    Community Action for Public Association (CAPA)
•    Tojir-Agber Foundation, TAF
•    Federation of Urban Poor (FEDUP)
•    Grass Root
•    Greater Gbaiza Development Initiative (GG-DIN)
•    Student Environmental Assembly of Nigeria