Battle For African Agriculture Podcast | Podcast on RSS.com

Battle For African Agriculture Podcast

Battle For African Agriculture Podcast

by Million Belay

Season 1

Can Parliament Save Africa's Food Systems? | Hon. Françoise Uwumukiza

In this episode of The Battle for African Agriculture Million Belay sits down with Hon. Françoise Uwumukiza, Member of the East African Legislative Assembly and Deputy Secretary-General of the African Food Systems Parliamentary Network, for a candid conversation about the future of African food systems. From climate change and the struggles of smallholder farmers to agroecology, women's cross-border trade, corporate influence, ultra-processed foods, and the loss of indigenous food knowledge, Hon. Uwumukiza argues that Africa's greatest challenge is not a lack of policies, but the failure to implement them. She calls for stronger support for farmers, protection from hazardous chemicals, and a return to food systems rooted in African cultures, traditions, and food sovereignty.

Reclaiming Africa’s Food Future: Agroecology, Power & Resistance | Pat Mooney

In this episode of The 3-Part Conversation on The Battle for African Agriculture Podcast with, Pat Mooney, we explore the deepening crisis in the global food system and the opportunities embedded within it, unpacking how corporate control of seeds and food systems continues to reshape agriculture, while also examining the future of agroecology, multilateral institutions, and Global South solidarity. The discussion reveals why food is ultimately about power and justice, and why agroecology must be understood not only as a science but also as a movement, with African actors holding more influence than is often recognized. It further reflects on corporate power and fragile global supply chains, the evolving role of UN food agencies, the importance of territorial food systems, and the need to connect food struggles with broader movements around climate, labor, health, and biodiversity, alongside the strategic role of African governments and civil society

Gene Editing, AI & Synthetic Biology: Corporate Capture of African Agriculture

In this episode of The Battle for African Agriculture, Million Belay sits down once again with Pat Mooney, founder of the ETC Group and long-time mentor in global struggles for food sovereignty. They unpack the hidden dangers of gene editing, synthetic biology, and AI in agriculture technologies promoted as “solutions” but often deepening dependency and corporate control. Pat reflects on Africa’s biodiversity, the scramble for seeds, and the role of Big Tech in reshaping farming. He also shares a powerful story of resistance: how global civil society defeated “Terminator seeds.” This conversation is a call to vigilance and collective action to defend African agency in food systems.

How the world lost control of seeds with Pat Mooney.

In this opening episode of a 3-part series, Million Belay sits down with legendary activist, ETC Group co-founder Pat Mooney to uncover the hidden history of corporate control over agriculture. From the 1960s to today, Pat traces how seeds once shared by farmers across the world became privatized, patented, and concentrated in the hands of a few powerful corporations. He reveals how the Global South supplied the genetic foundation of global agriculture, only to lose control over it through systems of intellectual property, policy shifts, and what he famously called “biopiracy.” This conversation breaks down the key turning points that reshaped food systems from global policy battles to the rise of seed monopolies and asks a critical question: who really controls our food? This is Part 1 of a 3-part series. In the next episodes, we go deeper into biotechnology, digital agriculture, and the future of corporate power.

The battle of narratives and how it shapes African food systems today | Professor Molly Anderson

In this episode of The Battle for African Agriculture, Million Belay sits down with food systems scholar and activist Professor Molly Anderson to unpack the hidden power structures shaping global agriculture. She draws out linkages from colonial legacies and corporate influence to donor-driven agendas and the politics of food sovereignty. Molly also exposes how dominant narratives continue to shape who controls food, land, and agricultural policy across Africa and beyond. They also explore why the Green Revolution model continues to dominate despite mounting evidence of its failures, how institutions like the World Bank and IMF influence agricultural policy through debt and structural adjustment, and why agroecology is a political struggle for justice, dignity, and power.

A farmer's answer to whether Africa can feed itself without high-input conventional agriculture.

In this episode of Battle for African Agriculture, Million Belay talks with Christopher Wali Magala, the Team Leader at Alwana Natural Farms, a veteran farmer and former government Agricultural Extension officer, about his shift from conventional farming to agroecology. He shares how biodiversity, intercropping, and local knowledge transformed his farm in Mukono, restoring soil and ensuring food security. He also boldly challenges the dominant narratives around GMOs and monoculture.

How Corporations Captured Global Agriculture | Jennifer Clapp

In this episode of Battle for African Agriculture, Million Belay speaks with Jennifer Clapp, Canada Research Chair in Global Food Security and Sustainability and Professor in the School of Environment, Resources and Sustainability at the University of Waterloo, Canada, and a member of the International Panel of Experts on Sustainable Food Systems. She explains how a handful of corporations came to dominate seeds, fertilizers, pesticides, and farm machinery, locking farmers into industrial systems built on monocultures. The conversation examines the technological and policy “lock-ins” shaping farming choices, the financialization of food and its impact on price volatility, and trade rules that disadvantage African farmers. Clapp argues that confronting corporate concentration is key to advancing food sovereignty and creating space for agroecology and territorial markets.

How big tech and big Ag are colliding to rob African farmers in the name of innovation.

In this episode of Battle for African Agriculture, Million Belay speaks with researcher and global policy expert Lim Li Ching about the rapid rise of digital agriculture. Drawing from the IPES-Food report “Head in the Cloud,” they explore how alliances between Big Tech and agribusiness are reshaping farming through data platforms, AI, and cloud computing. They examine data extractivism, farmer autonomy, seed sovereignty, and the political nature of innovation.

Digital Colonialism: Is AI the New Frontier of the Battle for African Agriculture?

In this episode of Battle for African Agriculture, Million Belay speaks with ETC Group researcher Jim Thomas about the powerful shift from GMOs to digital platforms, artificial intelligence, and biodigital technologies. As corporations move from selling inputs to harvesting data, African farmers risk being locked into new systems of dependency disguised as innovation.

The Digital Battle for Africa’s Farms: Resistance vs Big Tech

In this episode of The Battle for African Agriculture, Million Belay speaks with tech critic and journalist Edward Ongweso Jr. about biodigitalisation, data extraction, and corporate power in food systems. They unpack how “smart agriculture” can lock farmers into platforms, shift control to corporations, and threaten food sovereignty unless Africa charts its own path.

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