Abstract
Although debates about the Gates Foundation's Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) continue with the serious criticisms that it will transform Africa's farming systems into monoculture and that it is trying to link African food production to the global 'food value chain', this paper focuses on more fundamental goals of AGRA: to access and privatise Africa's genetic wealth. Employing the theory of accumulation by dispossession explains why AGRA is appropriating African genetic wealth and the theory of philanthrocapitalism explains how that appropriation is occurring. This study employs philanthrocapitalism to show that the multiple acts of genetic resource expropriation are neither disparate nor unconnected, but rather, reflect a systemic change of replacing public agricultural sectors with private business practices and control.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 389-405 |
| Number of pages | 17 |
| Journal | Review of African Political Economy |
| Volume | 41 |
| Issue number | 141 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - 2014 |
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Keywords
- accumulation by dispossession
- agriculture
- benefit sharing
- food
- philanthrocapitalism
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Geography, Planning and Development
- Development
- Political Science and International Relations
Cite this
Philanthrocapitalism : Appropriation of Africa's genetic wealth. / Thompson, Carol B.
In: Review of African Political Economy, Vol. 41, No. 141, 2014, p. 389-405.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - Philanthrocapitalism
T2 - Appropriation of Africa's genetic wealth
AU - Thompson, Carol B
PY - 2014
Y1 - 2014
N2 - Although debates about the Gates Foundation's Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) continue with the serious criticisms that it will transform Africa's farming systems into monoculture and that it is trying to link African food production to the global 'food value chain', this paper focuses on more fundamental goals of AGRA: to access and privatise Africa's genetic wealth. Employing the theory of accumulation by dispossession explains why AGRA is appropriating African genetic wealth and the theory of philanthrocapitalism explains how that appropriation is occurring. This study employs philanthrocapitalism to show that the multiple acts of genetic resource expropriation are neither disparate nor unconnected, but rather, reflect a systemic change of replacing public agricultural sectors with private business practices and control.
AB - Although debates about the Gates Foundation's Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) continue with the serious criticisms that it will transform Africa's farming systems into monoculture and that it is trying to link African food production to the global 'food value chain', this paper focuses on more fundamental goals of AGRA: to access and privatise Africa's genetic wealth. Employing the theory of accumulation by dispossession explains why AGRA is appropriating African genetic wealth and the theory of philanthrocapitalism explains how that appropriation is occurring. This study employs philanthrocapitalism to show that the multiple acts of genetic resource expropriation are neither disparate nor unconnected, but rather, reflect a systemic change of replacing public agricultural sectors with private business practices and control.
KW - accumulation by dispossession
KW - agriculture
KW - benefit sharing
KW - food
KW - philanthrocapitalism
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84904690114&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=84904690114&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1080/03056244.2014.901946
DO - 10.1080/03056244.2014.901946
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:84904690114
VL - 41
SP - 389
EP - 405
JO - Review of African Political Economy
JF - Review of African Political Economy
SN - 0305-6244
IS - 141
ER -