How can we resist the New Cramble in Africa? By Stopping the corporate takeover of african food

A landmark G8 initiative ' The New Alliance for Food Security' to boost agriculture and relieve poverty has been damned as a new form of colonialism after African governments agreed to change seed, land and tax laws to favour private investors over small farmers.

The alliance is being paid with hundred's of millions of pounds of our taxpayers'money to help the corporate like Unilever, Monsanto and Diageo to take over African land, seeds and agriculture.

It is quite shocking to hear that this is the way the UK is spending Aid budget rather than supporting the African farmers who produce 70% of the countries food.

Yesterday evening at the Christchurch on Clarendon Park Road in Leicester, I had the chance to assist to an event organised by the World Development Movement where I learnt more about this particular issue. Two speakers were present and below is a summary of the elements they cover.

1) Christine Haigh, Food Policy Officer from World Development Movement gave an extensive presentation where she highlighted throughout history how organisations through various initiatives 

- AGRA, The New Vision for Agriculture by the World Economic Forum, Grow Africa and now the New Alliance for food Security and Nutrition -

push farmers out of their land, control seed breeding, encourage chemical input which deepen environmental degradation but also make farmers more dependent and more at risk of economic struggle. 

Whilst companies profit of cheap labour on the ground, most of the food produced do not benefit the locals as it is for export.

Companies such as Unilever, Sab Miller, Diageo, DFID, Monsanto are all involved in this controversy.

More were said about how deep the issue and how important it was to promote Food Sovereignty which cover the 6 following principles:

1) Focuses on food for people - food should be a right not a commodity

2) Values food providers

3) Localises food systems

4) Makes decision locally

5) Builds knowledge locally

6) Works with nature

And finally, how important it is to write to our MPs!

The following link offer some very nice infographic about the historical role of developed countries in Africa :http://www.wdm.org.uk/new-scramble-africa-food-monsanto-syngenta-yara/

2) The second speaker was Dr Ola Ogunyemi, principal lecturer in Journalism at the University of Lincoln and President of the Shepherd Food Ministries. 

He introduced his initiative from Lincolnshire 'Shepherd Food Ministries' . The initiative aligns with the Millenium Development Goal 1 from the UN whereby poverty and hunger should be alleviate by 2015. 89 countries signed up to this goal. Unfortunately, we are in 2014 and the issue is still present.

Regardless, Lincolnshire residents donated money to buy 103 acres of land in Osun State, south-western Nigeria to create a hub for farmers to store and process the food they produced. This type of infrastructure is need as unfortunately 70% of the food being produced in such country will be wasted in the 3 weeks after production rather than with the consumers. 

The project chose a model based on membership whereby members can donate what they think the structure is worth after use of the infrastructure and sale of produces. The project want to ensure to remain a not-for-profit organisation for the commons.

The organisation also strives to nurture the young as Nigeria is experiencing an ageing farming population, and empowering widows with skills and knowledge. The organisation is also involved with the Lincoln Food Bank as hunger is also present here in the UK.

For more information: 

Guardian

World Development Movement

Shepherd Food Ministries

If you are all for food sovergnity, start with your back garden, it is where it all starts ;)

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