A $1 billion effort to bring a “green revolution” to improve agriculture in Africa reportedly put farmers in debt and allegedly poisoned the ground beneath their feet. The Seattle Times reports the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) was launched in 2006 through funding from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to reduce world hunger through high-yield seeds and chemical fertilizer.
AGRA is now facing significant criticism from environmental advocates and local African farmers for allegedly putting chemicals in the soil they use, sending farmers into debt through high costs for seeds, pesticides, and fertilizers.