Industrial agriculture has failed to solve hunger, decimated rural communities, and had severe ecological consequences. So why is this model being exported to Africa and promoted in international policy circles?
Our film sought to investigate the role of the Gates Foundation and other philanthrocapitalist endeavors in pushing industrial and high tech forms of agriculture on farmers in Africa, and demonstrate how and why these efforts are exacerbating hunger and inequality, rather than solving them. We also wanted to highlight widespread resistance by civil society organizations and farmers, who have been developing and practicing sustainable agroecological alternatives that offer greater promise in ensuring food security and addressing climate change.
Rich Appetites Film 1: The Foundation is the first short film in a 5 part series. The other titles in the series include Seeds, Money, Science, and Agroecology in Action.
In the process of conducting research for the film series, we identified a number of ways that the Gates Foundation is exerting undue influence over food politics at the global and regional scales--from pushing restrictive seed laws, to shaping the priorities of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Through interviews, we also documented a number of stories about the negative impact Gates Foundation funding has had on many farmers and rural communities, and were able to use the power of storytelling to demonstrate the political and ecological possibilities of agroecology as an alternative model.
Film-making allowed us to bring our ongoing research to life in a new way, and to reach new audiences by creating compelling, shareable narratives. In particular, it helped us recognize the need to incorporate real people's voices and faces into this research, to create connections and concern.
At times, it was hard to arrange interviews across multiple timezones and with spotty internet connections (especially in rural areas). However, this was important to us to try to include a diversity of voices in the project, without having the budget to travel extensively. We also feel that given the climate crisis, flying to all of these places to interview people is ecologically irresponsible and unjustifiable. We are proud and pleased with how we were able to create global films that are more climate-friendly.