Food / Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa

Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa

Former Initiative
Overview

Strengthening African agriculture

By supporting new scientific advances in human nutrition and food production and carrying forward our commitment to a Green Revolution in Africa, The Rockefeller Foundation is committed to reaching hundreds of millions of people with nourishing food while improving the sustainability of the global food system.

Our Work in Africa
Regions
that AGRA works in
  • 70%of sub-Saharan

    Africans depend on agriculture for their livelihoods

  • 90%of food

    in sub-Saharan Africa is produced by smallholder farmers

  • 60%more food

    must be produced in the next 15 years, to meet the needs of a growing population in sub-Saharan Africa

Our Approach

We support a uniquely African Green Revolution to improve smallholder farm productivity while preserving the environment.

Milestone Tracking

Results to Date

Since 2006, AGRA has supported more than 800 projects, including efforts to develop and deliver better seeds, increase yields, improve soil fertility, upgrade storage facilities, improve market information systems, strengthen farmers’ associations, expand access to credit for farmers and suppliers, and advocate for national policies that benefit smallholder farmers.

  • 15million

    African smallholder farmers trained, financed, and equipped with technology

  • 13million

    hectares restored for agricultural production

  • 562new seed varieties

    have been commercialized and marketed

Shared Success: Agricultural Transformation @10

The Shared Success photography collection offered genuine insight into the diverse range of farming communities and institutions that have been supported by AGRA and Rockefeller Foundation over the past decade. The collection captures the triumphs of men, women, and communities that have benefitted from the steady transformation taking place in Africa’s agricultural sector.

  • Margaret Chamwambia holds green grams at her farm in Tharaka North Sub County, Kenya on 19th July 2016. Margaret and other farmers in the area deliver their grain to Mukothima Grain Aggregation Centre, set up with the help of AGRA. By selling in bulk through grain aggregation centres, farmers are able to fetch higher prices for their harvest. Mwangi Kirubi/Arete/Rockefeller Foundation/AGRA
  • Ngila Kimotho, Managing Director of Dryland Seed Company at the company's warehouse in Machakos, Kenya. Dryland Seed Company received a grant from AGRA which helped them increase production to meet the demand for drought-resistant seeds in Kenya. Photo Credit: Mwangi Kirubi
  • Joyce Anyango Otieno (L) advises Caroline Atiieno (R) on maize farming practices in Siaya County, Kenya.
    Joyce Anyango Otieno (L) advises Caroline Atieno on the best maize farming practices at her farm in Siaya County, Kenya, on 21st July 2016. Joyce received training on the same from Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organisation in partnership with AGRA. Today, she trains other farmers from 10 farmer groups in the area using the skills she received and uses. Mwangi Kirubi/Arete/Rockefeller Foundation/AGRA
  • Joyce Anyango Otieno plays with her children at her home in Siaya County, Kenya, on 21st July 2016. Joyce received training on the best maize farming practices from Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organisation in partnership with Agra. TWith profits from her increased harvests, Joyce has built a house, paid for her children's school fees and uniform, and bought pigs, goats and cows to supplement her income from maize. Joyce also supports three orphans from her community. Mwangi Kirubi/Arete/Rockefeller Foundation/AGRA
  • Leah Tembi George, 58, shows off her harvest of cow peas at her farm in Tharaka North Sub County, Kenya. Leah delivers her harvest to the Mukothima Grain Aggregation Centre which was set up with the help of AGRA. Thanks to the higher price per kilo she gets for her harvest, Leah has educated her 6 children. Photo Credit: Karel Prinsloo
  • Ann Munala, an agro dealer in Luanda Market, Kenya is one of the leading lime-based fertilizer merchants in the region. Ann has helped educate farmers on the benefits of planting in nutrient-rich soils after receiving training from the Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization in partnership with AGRA. Ann testifies that she has seen farmers grow their harvest exponentially through the lessons she's shared with them. Photo Credit: Mwangi Kirubi
  • Mango farmer, Lucia Gakou has benefited from training and also receiving pest control pots as part of the YieldWise program. Lucia is hoping to increase her Mangoes revenue by 50% this year through refrigeration and waste reduction from pest control. Photo Credit: Mwangi Kirubi
  • From left to right, Iassine Chapala, Antonio Chapala and Katorina Chapala in their AGRA dealer shop in Mozambique. Antonio Chapala opened his AGRA supply shop after going through an AGRA program where he received agricultural business training and given a grant to help him open his shop. Photo Credit: Sam Wolson
  • Iassine Chapala and Antonio Chapala in their AGRA dealer shop in Mozambique Antonio’s shop allows local farmers to buy seeds and other items in their community rather than having to pay extra money to travel to town to acquire the same goods. It also provides Antonio and his family a better livelihood. Photo Credit: Sam Wolson
  • Workers unload a truck with harvested cassava roots at the DADTCO mobile processing site in Murrupula, Mozambique. Many farmers around the country took part in an AGRA program that allowed them to gain access to a small amount of land along with farming new varieties of disease-resistant cassava. Photo Credit: Sam Wolson
  • Workers prepare cassava to be loaded onto a truck for processing at the farm of Aolil Pedro in Murrupula Mozambique. Pedro took part in an AGRA program that allowed them to gain access to a small amount of land along with farming new varieties of disease-resistant cassava. The AGRA program also helped to develop 11 new varieties of cassava, now being used around the country. The program also connected farmers with resources to find places to sell their cassava. Photo Credit: Sam Wolson
  • Veronique Abem collects figs while her family works in the fields planting maize. Photo Credit: Karel Prinsloo
  • Fatoumata Sanogo, 27, with her three-year-old daughter Oumi at the NAFASO warehouse. NAFASO helps national crop breeding groups supported by AGRA in Burkina Faso. Photo Credit: Karel Prinsloo
  • Georges Sanou sorts tomatoes grown in his fields, outside Bobo-Dioulasso in Burkina Faso. Georges Sanou is an out grower with his own fields who has benefited from NAFASO certified seeds, supported by AGRA. Photo Credit: Karel Prinsloo
  • Small scale farmer Moussa Sondwidi, 67, processes maize for safe storage, in Burkina Faso. AGRA is supporting local partners in a project to mitigate post-harvest losses and improve market access. Photo Credit: Karel Prinsloo
  • Masters student, Yasmine Ki, 26, is learning to extract plant samples at the University of Ouagadougou in Burkina Faso. AGRA is helping to fund Yasmine’s degree in Plant Breeding. Photo Credit: Karel Prinsloo
  • Kaalia Ludege helps women choose products at the Mangakia Farmers Association's Agro shop, near Iringa, Tanzania. AGRA supports various AGRO shops in the country. Photo Credit: Karel Prinsloo
  • Amalia Kihongosi leaves after buying products at the Mangakia Farmers Association's Agro shop, near Iringa, Tanzania. AGRA supports various AGRO shops in the country. Photo Credit: Karel Prinsloo
  • Farmers from the Mangalali Farmers Association sort maize in Iringa, Tanzania. AGRA supports the Mangali Farmers Association. Photo Credit: Karel Prinsloo
  • Rose Murjang inspects her pigeon pea and maize fields, near Babati, Tanzania. AGRA provided Rose with assistance and expertise to grow her seed production over the years. Photo Credit: Karel Prinsloo
  • Rose Murjang inspects her pigeon pea and maize fields, near Babati, Tanzania. AGRA provided Rose with assistance and expertise to grow her seed production over the years. Photo Credit: Karel Prinsloo
  • Faiza Juma at her stall in the Arusha market where she has been selling various seeds and maize for 25 years in Arusha, Tanzania. AGRA supports local farmers in the area to process seeds. Photo Credit: Karel Prinsloo

Food security is critical for both human welfare and economic growth in Africa. About 70 percent of sub-Saharan Africans depend on agriculture for their livelihoods—and smallholder farmers account for 90 percent of food production in sub-Saharan Africa. Yet, many farmers barely produce enough food to feed their families, leaving no money for investing in tools and technologies that could increase yields. As a result, increases in staple crop production, wide scale marketing of surpluses and value-added businesses have not been sustained in Africa as in many other regions of the world. By supporting new scientific advances in human nutrition and food production, and carrying forward our commitment to a Green Revolution in Africa, The Rockefeller Foundation is committed to reaching hundreds of millions of people with nourishing food while improving the sustainability of the global food system.

In 2006, The Rockefeller Foundation and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation partnered to launch the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA), based on a shared vision that investing in agriculture is the surest path to reducing poverty and hunger in Africa. AGRA built on the lessons learned during almost a century of working on agricultural development and rural poverty. The initiative aimed to tackle the African agriculture problem by implementing more widespread use of high-yielding crop varieties. Additional work would focus on productive seed combinations, added soil nutrients from improved fertilizers, and involvement of farmers in breeding, testing, and selecting seeds suitable to Africa’s various regions.

AGRA also acknowledged that conditions in Africa were different from those in Asia and Latin America, requiring a different approach for the new Green Revolution. Given the poor soil quality in Africa, a key objective was promoting regenerative and biodiverse practices to protect the environment and to conserve and promote the diversity of African crops. It also took into account that most of the smallholder farmers are women and worked to ensure their access to land, appropriate technologies, and affordable finance.

As AGRA developed, the Gates and The Rockefeller Foundation partnership provided critical funding that allowed AGRA to expand its work. Strategically, the Alliance concentrated investment in the “breadbasket region” of four main countries: Ghana, Mali, Mozambique, and Tanzania. It also supported work in South Africa, Malawi, Zambia, Uganda, Kenya, Ethiopia, Rwanda, Nigeria, Niger, and Burkina Faso. Reflecting the historic pattern of the most successful Rockefeller Foundation initiatives, AGRA’s core funding expanded to include resources provided by governments as well as other agencies and international institutions.

In 2007, former United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan became the first chair of the Alliance. By 2010, AGRA worked in 13 countries, pursuing a system-wide approach to stimulate gains in the quantity and quality of food crops in sub-Saharan Africa. Its Market Access Program resulted in greatly increased income and decreased food insecurity for farming families. Since 2012, AGRA is an independent organization, with its own board and governance structure whose approach and leadership are uniquely African.

See next initiative
YieldWise