Agrica

Over the last decade, as many African countries surf on high levels of growth, the continent has become an increasingly attractive place for private investment. This is especially true in agriculture, as transnational agribusiness giants like Monsanto flock to the continent to take advantage of the growing opportunity for profits. These businesses have sold a story of a ‘win-win’ scenario for farmers – telling the world’s governments that through industrial agriculture farmers can increase their yields and feed hungry people in their countries.

Under a scrappy tarpaulin, Siasa Kasanura sits on a plastic chair surrounded by the impeccably organised records of his village. Wedged among the piles of folders and papers, Kasanura, the community chairperson, says he is uncertain he can keep it all in order for much longer.

A showcase project of the G8’s New Alliance for Food Security and Nutrition strips small scale farmers in Tanzania of their homes and farmland, damages a protected wetland and forces the corporate chemical input industry on smallholders. More evidence that agricultural initiatives backed by Western governments are benefiting multinationals and penalising local communities.

What is now happening in Tanzania should be an example of how not to behave if you want to help poor farmers make a living and feed their communities

Kilombero Plantations Ltd (KPL) is no ordinary rice farm. Based in Kilombero Valley, Tanzania, the company owns a 5,800 hectare plantation and buys rice from local farmers. Not only is it now the largest rice producer in East Africa, it’s become a flagship for international backers hoping to prove that corporations can deliver economic development for communities.