International foundations, NGOs and government aid programmes are risking starvation in Africa by promoting “utopian visions of organic peasant agriculture”, according to this viewpoint piece by James Njoroge published by the Genetic Literacy Project.
Njoroge, born in Kenya, argues that agricultural technologies such as pesticides, fertilisers, hybrid seeds and genetically modified crops are necessary in African farming to increase yields to feed growing populations and combat pest infestations such as locusts and the Fall Armyworm.
He criticises international organisations such as the Alliance for Food Sovereignty in Africa (ASFA), the Route to Food Initiative (RTFI) and the peasant movement La Via Campesina, arguing that they seek to limit the technologies available to African farmers, idealise peasant and subsistence farming, and limit the potential for development by favouring labour-intensive low-yield agriculture.
Read more here. See also the TABLE explainer What is food sovereignty?
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