Top-Down Solutions, Bottom-up Struggles: A Critical Analysis of Agra’s Sustainable Agriculture Agenda and Its Impact on Smallholder Farmers in Africa

The Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) was established to transform African agriculture by promoting high-yield, market-oriented farming, with backing from major donors such as the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the Rockefeller Foundation. AGRA frames its mission as a solution to Africa's persistent food insecurity and low agricultural productivity. However, its interventions have ignited debates over their long-term impacts on smallholder farmers and the sustainability of agricultural practices.

This paper critically examines AGRA's sustainable agriculture agenda, focusing on its impact on smallholder farmers through a discourse analysis of key policy documents. It explores the role of external actors, financial dependencies, and the concentration of power in supply chains, revealing how these dynamics undermine local knowledge systems and farmer autonomy. The findings indicate that AGRA’s promotion of modern agricultural practices, under the guise of sustainability, often aligns with global governance models that prioritize technological solutions and market-driven strategies. While these initiatives aim to improve productivity and food security, their mixed effects on smallholder farmers raise concerns about whose interests are truly being served.

The analysis suggests that smallholder farmers—who form the backbone of African agriculture—frequently bear the brunt of policies that favor large-scale, commercial models, perpetuating cycles of dependence and inequality. By investigating AGRA’s focus on industrial agriculture, power concentration, and the marginalization of traditional practices, this study contributes to broader discussions on sustainable development and global governance. The findings highlight the need to rethink global agricultural policies, advocating for more inclusive, bottom-up approaches that recognize the complex socio-ecological systems in which smallholder farmers operate.