This page lists all of the ABN's publications, ordered by year of publication. Please browse; alternatively, click the links below to be taken to a particular year.

2010; 2009; 2008; 2007 and older

Please note that all documents are in PDF format. Most computers require free PDF reader software (e.g. Foxit Reader or Adobe Acrobat Reader) in order to open these files. To open or download your chosen document, simply click the document's title.

NEWS - The ABN's briefing on agro-fuels has now been translated into Japanese. 

2011

Alliance for Food Sovereignty in Africa (AFSA) launches at COP17. Released 5th December 2011

African farmer and civil society groups in Africa are celebrating the launch of a “network of African networks”, called the Alliance for Food Sovereignty in Africa (AFSA). The African Biodiversity Network is a founding partner of AFSA which is working to promote agroecology as a solution to climate change, feeding people, biodiversity, livelihoods and healing the soils.

AFSA have released the report “Food Sovereignty Systems: Feeding the world, regenerating ecosystems, rebuilding local economies, and cooling the Planet – all at the same time” which emphasises that Food Sovereignty can cool the planet, while feeding the world and regenerating ecosystems. Download the report here. 

The CDM and Africa: Marketing a New Land Grab  Released 23rd February 2011

This new report from the ABN, The Gaia Foundation, Biofuelwatch, Carbon Trade Watch and the Timberwatch Coalition highlights the failings of the UN's Clean Development Machanism (CDM) as more pressure is placed on Africa's land.

2010

Biofuels: a failure for Africa | (2.6Mb) Released in December 2010, this report by the ABN & Gaia Foundation exposes the flaws and failures of biofuels production, using evidence from Ethiopian farmers' experience of three key biofuels crops. An essential 'reality check'.

ABN position paper on climate change - prepared for COP16 in Cancun, December 2010 | (228Kb) The ABN's official response to the false solutions of agrofuels, biochar, GMOs, REDD and industrial agriculture, delivered ahead of the climate negotiations in Cancun.

2009

ABN position paper on climate change for COP15 | (209Kb) Prepared for the COP15 in Copenhagen in December 2009, this statement sets out ABN's policy position on climate change.

Alliance for Food Sovereignty in Africa (AFSA) Declaration | (119Kb) Declaration from the Alliance for Food Sovereignty in Africa (AFSA), of which ABN is a founding member. 

Biochar Land Grabbing: the impacts on Africa | (287Kb) This briefing highlights the impact that biochar developments will have on Africa's land, forests, agriculture and communities. Produced by ABN, Biofuelwatch and The Gaia Foundation in November 2009.

The ABN bi-annual newsletter - December 2009 | (717Kb) Read highlights of ABN's work across the network and internationally.

2008

The ABN 2008 1st Quarter Newsletter | (628Kb) The latest edition of the ABN Newsletter contains news from the network as well as interviews with some of Africa's leading environmental activists.

Wilderness Trail Reflections | (366Kb) Participants at the ABN strategic planning meeting in the Baviaan's Kloof in South Africa reflect on their experience and inspirations gained during a two day wilderness trail.

Agrofuels: the Myth of Marginal Lands | (287Kb) This in-depth report debunks the idea that agrofuels can be intensively farmed on "marginal" lands at no ecological or economic cost. Indeed, using African examples, the report challenges the prevailing concept of "marginal" land as land of no social, environmental or economic use.

Biofuels in Ghana | (252Kb) This is the story of how a Norwegian biofuels company took advantage of Ghana's traditional system of communal land ownership, and current climate and economic pressures, to claim and deforest large tracts of land in Kusawugu, Northern Ghana, with the intention of creating "the largest Jatropha plantation in the world".

2007 and older

Africa’s Wealth of Seed Diversity and Farmer Knowledge | (32Kb) Africa’s wealth of seed diversity and farmer knowledge are under threat from the Gates/ Rockefeller “Green Revolution” initiative. A statement signed by 70 African civil society organisations from 12 African countries at the World Social Forum 2007.

A new scramble for Africa's remaining collective territories: the trends, tensions and challenges (178Kb) This study seeks to interrogate the present status of collective, cultural, communal, territorial and environmental rights in Africa. It is aimed at citizens of Africa and Africa’s development partners to stimulate debate and seek solutions on the subjects of re-claiming territory rights and building community interest in land. By Korir A Singoei & Adam Hussein Adam.

Agrofuels in Africa – impacts on land, foods and forests | (1.9Mb) Case studies from Benin, Tanzania and Uganda by the ABN, Envirocare (Tanzania), Nature-Tropicale (Benin), Climate and Development Initiatives (Uganda). By Matongo Mundia and Clement Chipokolo (Zambia)

The Network Approach: Concepts and Applications | (32Kb) This paper explores the analytical study of Social Network Theory as a way to assess the efficacy of a network through analyzing the interactions between the different nodes in a network.

An African Call for a Moratorium on Agrofuel Developments | (85Kb) The agrofuels ‘revolution’ is geared to replace biodiversity-based indigenous farming systems with mono cultures and genetically engineered agrofuel crops to benefit multinational corporations that already control the international market for agrofuels.

The Moratorium calls for:

• A moratorium on new agrofuel developments in Africa. • No agrofuel targets for governments in Europe and the rest of the world. • An international moratorium on agrofuel exports until the true social and environmental costs can be assessed and disaster averted.

We invite organisations from across Africa and the rest of the world to sign up to this moratorium call. Download the full moratorium above. To sign up, please send your name, organization and country to: agrofuelsafrica@gmail.com