An African call for a moratorium on agrofuels

Contributor
30.11.2007

The aggressive push for agrofuel developments in Africa (known to many as "biofuels") is a massive new threat to our farmers, food, forests, water resources and land rights. The aggressive push for agrofuel developments in Africa (known to many as "biofuels") is a massive new threat to our farmers, food, forests, water resources and land rights. We now invite organisations from across Africa and the rest of the world to sign up to this moratorium call, and to forward this to all your friends and colleagues. If you are working with local farmers groups and CBOs, please help them to sign on too. To sign up, please send your name, organisation and country to:

Dear Friends and Colleagues,

The aggressive push for agrofuel developments in Africa (known to many as "biofuels") is a massive new threat to our farmers, food, forests, water resources and land rights. 2007 has already seen a series of disastrous impacts across the continent, including rising food prices, large-scale land evictions and deforestation. (Please see the African Biodiversity Network's report "Agrofuels in Africa: the impact on land, food and forests.") Sadly, this is just the beginning of a very big trend that is set to expand massively in 2008 and beyond.

Our governments are apparently in thrall to the multinational corporations leading this "green gold rush", and fail to see that this give-away of our land and food will only lead to more poverty and hunger.

At a recent meeting in Ethiopia, 30 NGOs from across Africa agreed on their urgent concern about the new push for Agrofuels on our continent.

We therefore jointly launched a call for a Moratorium on Agrofuels in Africa.

We now invite organisations from across Africa and the rest of the world to sign up to this moratorium call, and to forward this to all your friends and colleagues. If you are working with local farmers groups and CBOs, please help them to sign on too.

To sign up, please send your name, organisation and country to: Agrofuels are a false solution to climate change, and will only worsen the problems of climate change and food security already facing Africa. For the sake of our continent's future, we urge you to take up and pass on this urgent message.
Sincerely, Gathuru Mburu (Co-ordinator, African Biodiversity Network)