Africa Harvest Biotechnology Foundation International
See Florence Wambugu
In January, 2002, the Monsanto-trained scientist Florence Wambugu established her own biotechnology foundation, becoming Chief Executive of Africa Harvest Biotechnology Foundation International (AHFBI), usually called Africa Harvest for short. AHBFI's Communication for Development Program is supported by CropLife International[1] - an organisation led by companies such as BASF, Bayer, Dow, DuPont, Monsanto, and Syngenta.
Africa Harvest's website stated about the Communication for Development Program:
- Africa’s underdevelopment is linked to lack of knowledge. In the agricultural sector, communication is an integral part of the Africa Harvest programs and projects design; in particular, biotech and risk communication are designed to facilitate the adoption of new crops and products, especially GM products. Africa Harvest Communication for Development Program includes an effective biotech communication and public acceptance program designed to empower people from those within national governments down to the local level to make informed decisions regarding the implementation of biotechnology crops, bio-safety policy development, and bio-safety protection.[2]
According to Aaron deGrassi of the Institute of Development Studies at the University of Sussex:
- Pro-biotech Western aid agencies have joined with these [front] organizations to quietly conduct one-sided conferences at up-scale venues around the continent, such as Kenya's Windsor Golf and Country Club, aimed to swing high-level officials in favor of GM. But critics charge these forums are facades for large corporations.
- They also charge that these NGOs are far from being as representative as they suggest, merely consisting of a website and a few staff.[3]
Partners
Development partners listed in the Africa Harvest Annual Technical and Financial Report 2007 are:[4]
- Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
- CropLife International
- DuPont USA
- The Rockefeller Foundation (RF)
- United States Agency for International Development (USAID)
Collaborating partners listed in the Africa Harvest Annual Technical and Financial Report 2007 are:[5]
- AfricaBio
- African Biotechnology Stakeholders Forum (ABSF)
- Agricultural Research Council (ARC), SA
- Council for Science and Industrial Research (CSIR), SA
- African Agricultural Technology Foundation (AATF)
- Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA)
- International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT)
- International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-Biotech Applications (ISAAA)
- Kenya Agricultural Research Institute (KARI)
- Kenya Banana Growers Association
- National Biotechnology Development Agency (NABDA), Nigeria
- New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD)
- DuPont, through its business Pioneer Hi-Bred
- TechnoServe Incorporation (TNS)
- University of California, Berkeley
- University of Pretoria
Funding
Notes
- ↑ Annual Technical & Finance Report 2007, Africa Harvest Biotech Foundation International, 2007, p. 31, accessed 14 Sept 2009
- ↑ Communication for Development Program, Africa Harvest website, version placed in web archive 10 Apr 2007, accessed in web archive 14 Sept 2009
- ↑ Aaron deGrassi, "Genetically Modified Crops and Sustainable Poverty Alleviation in Sub-Saharan Africa: An Assessment of Current Evidence", Third World Network - Africa, June 2003, p. 55, accessed 30 June 2009
- ↑ Annual Technical & Finance Report 2007, Africa Harvest Biotech Foundation International, 2007, p. 9, accessed 14 Sept 2009
- ↑ Annual Technical & Finance Report 2007, Africa Harvest Biotech Foundation International, 2007, p. 9, accessed 14 Sept 2009
