Environmental and faith-based organisations across Africa are calling on the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to pay reparations for what they describe as ecological and social damage linked to industrial agriculture projects funded on the continent.
The appeal, led by the Southern African Faith Communities’ Environment Institute (SAFCEI) and supported by the Alliance for Food Sovereignty in Africa (AFSA), renews a previous 2020 call for the Foundation to withdraw its backing of the so-called Green Revolution model in Africa. The groups argue that this model, promoted by the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA), has failed to deliver on its promises to reduce hunger and poverty, while deepening dependence on expensive inputs and corporate-controlled seed systems.
The updated open letter was launched during the “Advancing Gender Equity in Climate Leadership” event on Africa Day for Food and Nutrition Security (October 29, 2025). It reflects a growing movement among religious, traditional, and community leaders who advocate for a shift toward agroecology, a sustainable, farmer-led approach that prioritizes biodiversity, local seeds, and environmental restoration.
According to SAFCEI’s Food and Climate Justice Manager, Gabriel Manyangadze, hunger has increased by more than 30% in several AGRA-targeted countries despite more than US$1 billion in investment. He said the initiative’s emphasis on chemical fertilisers and hybrid seeds has depleted soil health, eroded seed sovereignty, and pushed smallholder farmers deeper into debt.
“Instead of lifting farmers out of poverty, AGRA’s industrial agriculture model has deepened financial dependency and undermined the resilience of smallholder communities,” Manyangadze said. “We call upon the Gates Foundation to pay reparations to farmers who have been harmed by the industrial agriculture the Foundation supports.”
He added that the push for standardised, high-input farming systems has led to the decline of nutrient-rich indigenous crops and the loss of traditional knowledge that once sustained communities.
“It is time for the Gates Foundation to acknowledge the harm caused, rethink its approach, and invest in rebuilding the resilience of Africa’s farmers and ecosystems,” he said.
Traditional healer and agroecologist Doreen Badze from Zimbabwe echoed these sentiments, arguing that industrial farming has disrupted both soil health and cultural ties to the land.
“Returning to agroecological ways restores the earth, honours the Creator, and reconnects us to our ancestral wisdom. Reparations are not just about money; they are about healing our relationship with the land and each other.”
The Gates Foundation is one of the largest funders of agricultural development in Africa and a major supporter of AGRA, an initiative launched in 2006 with the Rockefeller Foundation. While AGRA initially aimed to double yields and incomes for 30 million farming households, several evaluations, including reports from African civil society groups, have found limited progress toward those goals.
Critics argue that the Green Revolution approach promotes dependence on imported seeds and fertilisers, benefits multinational agribusinesses, and accelerates land degradation. Supporters, however, say it has improved access to inputs and markets in regions where agricultural productivity had been stagnant for decades.
As the debate over Africa’s agricultural future intensifies, the open letter adds momentum to calls for a transition toward food sovereignty, emphasising local control, ecological balance, and traditional farming knowledge.
