More than 600 faith leaders across Africa have renewed an open letter to the Gates Foundation, demanding reparations for the ecological and social harm caused by industrial agriculture. Spearheaded by the Southern African Faith Communities’ Environment Institute (SAFCEI) with backing from the Alliance for Food Sovereignty in Africa, the campaign calls for a just transition toward agroecology.

The participating groups highlight a consensus among faith, traditional, and community leaders that Africa’s food systems must be locally rooted, ecologically sound, and socially just. This renewed appeal builds on their 2020 open letter urging the Gates Foundation to stop funding Africa’s “Green Revolution,” which they say has failed to deliver on its promises. Despite multiple calls since 2021, they report no meaningful response from the foundation.

Faith leaders assert a responsibility to expose injustice and advocate for equitable resource distribution. While acknowledging the foundation’s stated intent to combat poverty, they express concern about its ongoing support for the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA), founded in 2006 by the Gates Foundation and other donors. AGRA’s goal of boosting yields and incomes for 30 million smallholder households has not been realized—despite nearly $1 billion in funding. The leaders cite even the foundation’s own evaluation showing AGRA’s limited success.

According to the letter, AGRA’s approach entrenches a corporate model of industrial agriculture that undermines food sovereignty, harms ecosystems, and fosters dependency. Reliance on commercial seeds and chemical fertilizers exposes farmers to volatile global markets and erodes soil health. As land degrades, many farmers are displaced, exacerbating environmental stress and deepening rural poverty. Given Africa’s heavy dependence on natural resources, the leaders argue that any agricultural model threatening ecological balance or local agency is unsustainable.

The statement warns of the erosion of indigenous knowledge vital for climate adaptation. Industrial farming, they argue, promotes monocultures that reduce biodiversity, dietary diversity, and community resilience. The letter calls for redirecting funds toward agroecology—investing in organic input supply chains, farmer-led research, seed banks, and locally defined food systems that honor traditional wisdom.

SAFCEI’s food and climate justice manager, Gabriel Manyangadze, urged the Gates Foundation to pay reparations to smallholder farmers harmed by industrial agriculture. He cited increasing hunger, shrinking crop diversity, and rising farmer indebtedness. Policies in Kenya, Malawi, and Ghana, he noted, even criminalize the exchange of uncertified seeds, stripping farmers of autonomy.

From Kenya, Ulfat Masibo, of the Africa Muslim Women Action Network, emphasized that faith communities have a moral duty to protect land and life. She urged global funders to support women-led, community-based solutions that heal the planet and empower local farmers. Similarly, Zimbabwean agroecologist Doreen Badze argued that chemical-based farming has “harmed both soil and soul,” and that returning to agroecology restores Earth’s integrity and human dignity.

Independent research, such as that from Tufts University, corroborates these concerns. Despite over a decade of funding, the African Green Revolution has failed to significantly raise crop yields or reduce hunger. Maize yields rose by only 29% in 12 years, while undernourishment increased by 30% in AGRA countries.

Francesca de Gasparis, SAFCEI’s executive director, concluded that faith and traditional leaders are emerging as agents of ecological renewal. With over 600 signatories—and potentially 1,000 including supporting groups—this collective appeal marks one of Africa’s most unified demands for reparations and a decisive shift toward sustainable, community-driven agroecology.