By spending billions on agriculture projects in African countries, Gates is attempting to launch another Green Revolution — one that prioritizes industrial methods like chemical inputs and genetically modified seeds.
Rather than feeding more people or helping small-scale farmers, where this revolution has had most success is in robbing African farmers of their independence. In an open letter, the International Panel of Experts on Sustainable Food Systems (IPES) pointed out the “loss of control over production choices” in countries where Gates-funded AGRA has focused its efforts.
This “Billionaire Knows Best” attitude has roots in colonialism, and Gates himself has been accused of conducting “philanthrocapitalism, which is boosting the corporate takeover of our seed, agriculture, food, knowledge and global health systems, manipulating information and eroding our democracies.” CGIAR and AGRA have scraped together further credibility by their involvement with the UN Food Systems Summit, which gives powerful transnational corporations an avenue to influence international food policies while promoting “solutions” that only serve their shareholders.
At best, he is dangerously selfish and naive, not caring how his large-scale, high-tech experiments impact millions of less-powerful people, who never wanted these “solutions” in the first place. At worst, this power-hungry megalomaniac is seeking complete control over the world’s food supply — and is in a position to get it.
[Editor’s note: Read another viewpoint on this topic here, and read the full Gates Foundation report here.]
