Hello Community! Re-designing a food system that rests on the principles and values of food sovereignty for all requires all of us. My name is Shephali Patel and I had the honor to support others in this movement through my role on the Organizing Collective for the 2022 edition of CAGJ’s Rise Up! Summer School. […]
Category Archives: Agra Watch Blog Posts
WATCH FULL FILM SERIES! Rich Appetites: How Big Philanthropy is Shaping the Future of Food in Africa
At a time when global hunger is on the rise and the pandemic has dramatically impacted global food systems, corporations are gaining even more control over agriculture than ever. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF), the largest private charitable foundation in the world, is leading the way in pushing global agricultural development priorities toward […]
An End-of-Year Letter to our Members & Supporters + 2022 Accomplishments
CAGJ’s end of year letter to our Members & Supporters 2022 Accomplishments: #RootingOurselvesInHope Greetings friends, What gives you hope despite increasingly desperate times? Every day I sit down at my desk, and dedicate myself to the tasks at hand, knowing that my efforts are adding to the efforts of millions of people worldwide, including peasant […]
Open Letter to Bill Gates from AGRA Watch & 50 Co-Signers
An Open Letter to Bill Gates on Food, Farming, and Africa AGRA Watch drafted this letter in response to two recent articles we found very troubling. We are joined by 50 organizations focused on food sovereignty and justice worldwide, who want Bill Gates to know there is no shortage of practical solutions and innovations by […]
Where does the Gates Foundation’s agriculture spending really go?
As part of our research for our Rich Appetites film series, AGRA Watch has conducted an analysis of Gates Foundation agricultural development grants specifically targeting Africa–now published as a report: African Agricultural Development … for the US? An Analysis of the Distribution of Gates Foundation Grants. Looking at grants through July 2021, we have found […]
FUJ Tour Report-back: Fighting for Farmworkers in the US and Beyond
This fall CAGJ worked with farmworker union Familias Unidas por la Justicia and other community organizations based out of Seattle to organize the FUJ Farmworker Solidarity Tour. Over two days in October, we convened a rally, march, dinner, teach-in and AGRA-Watch action in Seattle that highlighted how issues faced by farmworkers are connected to the […]
What’s wrong with the Africa Food Prize?
This week the titans of agribusiness will shine a spotlight on their favorite tech-based approaches to food production by awarding the World Food Prize in Iowa, as they do every year, in the home of Norman Borlaug, credited as the “father of the green revolution.” When Yara International, the Norwegian fertilizer company, decided that it […]
CAGJ Executive Director, African farmers’ organizations featured in Seattle Times article!
On September 8, 2022, the Seattle Times published excellent and critical coverage of the Gates-funded Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA). The article also made the front page of the print newspaper on September 9! Nina Shapiro writes: As an annual African farming summit takes place this week in Rwanda, activists, farmers and […]
Watch CAGJ’s Webinar: Farming for a Hot Planet
Watch CAGJ’s Webinar: Farming for a Hot Planet Organized for Rise-Up Summer School with AGRA Watch In response to climate change, powerful individuals and institutions are pushing so-called “climate smart” agriculture, which serves corporate agendas. Yet grassroots movements have already been implementing grounded, people-led solutions to build climate-resilient food systems. In this webinar, we heard […]
“Privatization is not the Answer”: 2nd film companion guide just released!
We’re delighted to announce that we’ve published our companion guide to Rich Appetites Episode 2 (Seeds)! This guide is available in three formats: as a page on the film website, a Google Doc, and a PDF (available for download on the film webpage). The companion guide goes into more detail on topics covered in the second film, diving deeper into the research […]
