Camilla Berglund

PhD in Human geography. Forests occupies my mind and heart. Landscape, environment, rural areas.

[Teklehaymanot G. Weldemichel @TeklehaymanotG]

#Ethiopia

[Million Belay @Million_Belay]

As conversations about the future of African agriculture increasingly turn to innovation, digital tools, and artificial intelligence, we must ask a deeper question: innovation for whom, and on whose terms? In this week's episode of the Battle for African Agriculture podcast, I sit down with Jim Thomas to explore the growing shift from input-driven industrial agriculture to data-driven food systems spreading across the world, and also to Africa. Jim gives a historical perspective of Biopiracy, pointing out how what appears as “smart farming” is a digital colonialism revolution, transforming how power operates from controlling seeds and chemicals to controlling data, infrastructure, and decision-making itself.

The discussion also examines how digital agriculture platforms collect vast amounts of information from farms, how advances in synthetic biology allow genetic resources to be digitized and reconstructed without ever leaving a laboratory, and how new technological models risk creating dependencies that mirror earlier eras of extraction. At a time when these technologies are being promoted as solutions to climate change, productivity challenges, and rural development, it is critical to scrutinize their social, ecological, and economic implications, particularly for smallholder farmers across Africa.

If the goal is food sovereignty, then the interventions must go beyond adopting new tools to examining who designs them, who benefits from them, and what alternatives already exist within farmer-led agroecological systems.

Listen to the full episode on:

YouTube: https://t.co/DkFLh5gTo9

Spotify: https://t.co/V1GTLHR4jj

RSS: https://t.co/yMxd6h6CIm
Please subscribe and share within your networks, and leave a comment.
#Agroecology #FoodSovereignity #BattleForAfricanAgriPOD

[AFSA @Afsafrica]

“𝐅a𝐫m𝐞r𝐬 𝐚r𝐞 𝐛e𝐜o𝐦i𝐧g d𝐚t𝐚 𝐬o𝐮r𝐜e𝐬, n𝐨t d𝐞c𝐢s𝐢o𝐧-𝐦a𝐤e𝐫s.” – D𝐚v𝐢d O𝐭i𝐞n𝐨

At the First Pan-African Convening on the Future of Biodigital Technologies in Food and Agriculture, held in Addis Ababa from 2–4 October 2025, smallholder farmers from across the continent spoke directly about how biodigital technologies are reshaping their lives and livelihoods. Among them was David Otieno, a smallholder farmer from Kenya and a member of the Kenyan Peasants League, part of La Via Campesina, who offered a grounded and uncompromising reflection from the perspective of those most affected.

𝐷𝑎𝑣𝑖𝑑 𝑤𝑎𝑟𝑛𝑒𝑑 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑚𝑎𝑛𝑦 𝑏𝑖𝑜𝑑𝑖𝑔𝑖𝑡𝑎𝑙 𝑡𝑜𝑜𝑙𝑠 𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝐴𝑓𝑟𝑖𝑐𝑎𝑛 𝑎𝑔𝑟𝑖𝑐𝑢𝑙𝑡𝑢𝑟𝑒 𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑑𝑒𝑠𝑖𝑔𝑛𝑒𝑑 𝑡𝑜 𝑚𝑖𝑛𝑒 𝑓𝑎𝑟𝑚𝑒𝑟𝑠’ 𝑑𝑎𝑡𝑎 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑝𝑙𝑎𝑛𝑡 𝑚𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑖𝑎𝑙𝑠, 𝑑𝑖𝑔𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑧𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑚, 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑡𝑢𝑟𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑚 𝑖𝑛𝑡𝑜 𝑝𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑑 𝑎𝑠𝑠𝑒𝑡𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑓𝑎𝑟𝑚𝑒𝑟𝑠 𝑐𝑎𝑛 𝑛𝑜 𝑙𝑜𝑛𝑔𝑒𝑟 𝑎𝑐𝑐𝑒𝑠𝑠. 𝐻𝑒 𝑒𝑥𝑝𝑙𝑎𝑖𝑛𝑒𝑑 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑜𝑛𝑐𝑒 𝑓𝑎𝑟𝑚𝑒𝑟𝑠’ 𝑠𝑒𝑒𝑑𝑠 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑘𝑛𝑜𝑤𝑙𝑒𝑑𝑔𝑒 𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑑𝑖𝑔𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑧𝑒𝑑 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑠𝑡𝑜𝑟𝑒𝑑 𝑖𝑛 𝑑𝑎𝑡𝑎𝑏𝑎𝑠𝑒𝑠, 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑦 𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑠𝑜𝑙𝑑 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑝𝑟𝑜𝑓𝑖𝑡 𝑤ℎ𝑖𝑙𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑜𝑟𝑖𝑔𝑖𝑛𝑎𝑙 𝑐𝑢𝑠𝑡𝑜𝑑𝑖𝑎𝑛𝑠 𝑟𝑒𝑐𝑒𝑖𝑣𝑒 𝑛𝑜 𝑏𝑒𝑛𝑒𝑓𝑖𝑡𝑠. 𝐸𝑥𝑖𝑠𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑖𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑛𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑎𝑙 𝑓𝑟𝑎𝑚𝑒𝑤𝑜𝑟𝑘𝑠 𝑝𝑟𝑜𝑡𝑒𝑐𝑡 𝑝ℎ𝑦𝑠𝑖𝑐𝑎𝑙 𝑔𝑒𝑛𝑒𝑡𝑖𝑐 𝑚𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑖𝑎𝑙𝑠, ℎ𝑒 𝑛𝑜𝑡𝑒𝑑, 𝑏𝑢𝑡 𝑜𝑓𝑓𝑒𝑟 𝑙𝑖𝑡𝑡𝑙𝑒 𝑝𝑟𝑜𝑡𝑒𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑎𝑔𝑎𝑖𝑛𝑠𝑡 𝑑𝑖𝑔𝑖𝑡𝑎𝑙 𝑠𝑒𝑞𝑢𝑒𝑛𝑐𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑑𝑎𝑡𝑎 𝑒𝑥𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛, 𝑙𝑒𝑎𝑣𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑓𝑎𝑟𝑚𝑒𝑟𝑠 𝑒𝑥𝑝𝑜𝑠𝑒𝑑. 𝐻𝑒 𝑎𝑙𝑠𝑜 ℎ𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑙𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡𝑒𝑑 ℎ𝑜𝑤 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑠𝑒 𝑡𝑒𝑐ℎ𝑛𝑜𝑙𝑜𝑔𝑖𝑒𝑠 𝑑𝑒𝑒𝑝𝑒𝑛 𝑖𝑛𝑒𝑞𝑢𝑎𝑙𝑖𝑡𝑦: 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑦 𝑟𝑒𝑙𝑦 𝑜𝑛 𝑒𝑙𝑒𝑐𝑡𝑟𝑖𝑐𝑖𝑡𝑦 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑖𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑛𝑒𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑟𝑢𝑟𝑎𝑙 𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑚𝑢𝑛𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑒𝑠 𝑜𝑓𝑡𝑒𝑛 𝑙𝑎𝑐𝑘, 𝑓𝑎𝑣𝑜𝑟 𝑙𝑎𝑟𝑔𝑒-𝑠𝑐𝑎𝑙𝑒 𝑓𝑎𝑟𝑚𝑒𝑟𝑠 𝑤ℎ𝑜 𝑐𝑎𝑛 𝑝𝑎𝑦 𝑟𝑜𝑦𝑎𝑙𝑡𝑖𝑒𝑠, 𝑑𝑖𝑠𝑟𝑢𝑝𝑡 𝑎𝑔𝑟𝑜𝑒𝑐𝑜𝑙𝑜𝑔𝑖𝑐𝑎𝑙 𝑤𝑎𝑦𝑠 𝑜𝑓 𝑙𝑖𝑓𝑒, 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑟𝑒𝑑𝑢𝑐𝑒 𝑠𝑚𝑎𝑙𝑙ℎ𝑜𝑙𝑑𝑒𝑟𝑠 𝑡𝑜 𝑟𝑎𝑤 𝑑𝑎𝑡𝑎 𝑝𝑟𝑜𝑣𝑖𝑑𝑒𝑟𝑠. 𝐴𝑠 𝑔𝑜𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑛𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑠 𝑟𝑢𝑠ℎ 𝑡𝑜 𝑎𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑑 𝑙𝑎𝑤𝑠 𝑡𝑜 𝑎𝑐𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑚𝑜𝑑𝑎𝑡𝑒 𝑐𝑜𝑟𝑝𝑜𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑠, 𝑓𝑎𝑟𝑚𝑒𝑟𝑠 𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑠𝑖𝑑𝑒𝑙𝑖𝑛𝑒𝑑. 𝐷𝑎𝑣𝑖𝑑 𝑐𝑎𝑙𝑙𝑒𝑑 𝑖𝑛𝑠𝑡𝑒𝑎𝑑 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑝𝑟𝑜𝑡𝑒𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑓𝑎𝑟𝑚𝑒𝑟𝑠’ 𝑑𝑎𝑡𝑎, 𝑠𝑎𝑓𝑒𝑔𝑢𝑎𝑟𝑑𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑒𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑐𝑎𝑙 𝑏𝑜𝑢𝑛𝑑𝑎𝑟𝑖𝑒𝑠, 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑠𝑢𝑝𝑝𝑜𝑟𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑓𝑎𝑟𝑚𝑒𝑟-𝑙𝑒𝑑 𝑖𝑛𝑛𝑜𝑣𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑠—𝑡𝑒𝑐ℎ𝑛𝑖𝑐𝑎𝑙, 𝑠𝑜𝑐𝑖𝑎𝑙, 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑖𝑛𝑠𝑡𝑖𝑡𝑢𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑎𝑙—𝑢𝑠𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑑𝑖𝑔𝑖𝑡𝑎𝑙 𝑡𝑜𝑜𝑙𝑠 𝑜𝑛𝑙𝑦 𝑎𝑠 𝑠𝑢𝑝𝑝𝑜𝑟𝑡𝑖𝑣𝑒 𝑚𝑒𝑎𝑛𝑠, 𝑛𝑜𝑡 𝑖𝑛𝑠𝑡𝑟𝑢𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑠 𝑜𝑓 𝑒𝑥𝑐𝑙𝑢𝑠𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑜𝑟 𝑒𝑥𝑝𝑙𝑜𝑖𝑡𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛.

[Teklehaymanot G. Weldemichel @TeklehaymanotG]

"In Sudan, as in neighbouring Tigray, the thirst for gold has precipitated disaster and the deaths of hundreds of thousands of civilians."
@DrChTouati

https://t.co/vyFfXa47u2

[Teklehaymanot G. Weldemichel @TeklehaymanotG]

Wrote this👇 article with situations like Sudan & my home region Tigray in mind. In an age of transactional politics, how should we as #Africans respond to genocides & all kinds of crimes by actors who are financed and supported by old & new colonisers?
https://t.co/iZ2wRLmxU1

[MSF International @MSF]

Our teams are working in Tawila, Sudan, where they’re seeing people who have managed to escape the atrocities happening in and around El Fasher. The little number of people arriving in Tawila is alarming.

Civilians must be allowed to flee El Fasher.

https://t.co/sklrzg5om6

[William Moseley @WilliamGMoseley]

UN IPC confirms famine in Sudan https://t.co/oP2kXpK5co

[Amnesty International @amnesty]

The people of Sudan feel forgotten amidst the spiraling violence across the country, where parties to the conflict are causing untold death and destruction.

Nowhere is safe. With every minute that passes countless lives are ruined.

People are being killed inside their homes, or while desperately searching for food, water, and medicine. They are caught in crossfire while fleeing and shot deliberately in targeted attacks. Women and girls, some as young as 12, have been raped and subjected to other forms of sexual violence by members of the warring sides.

With every minute that passes countless lives are ruined. We need to act now and demand the United Nations Security Council to extend the existing arms embargo to the whole country and not only to Darfur region and ensure it is fully implemented. This will disrupt the flow of weapons and contribute to reduce civilian suffering.

#HumanityMustWin

[Jason Hickel @jasonhickel]

What we must all remember from the Gaza genocide is that the international system is rotten to its core and needs to be completely replaced.

We cannot accept a system where Western governments and leaders can commit genocide and war crimes with total impunity.

We cannot accept a system where the USA can veto UN measures to stop genocide, measures that are supported by the vast majority of other states.

We cannot accept a racialised two-tier system where human rights are only enforced for some peoples and not for others. We cannot accept apartheid in the international system.

All of this has to be torn down and we must build a new system in its place. A system built on true universalism. The Western ruling classes will never deliver such a world. On the contrary, they fight against it.

This is the task of our generation and we cannot rest until it is achieved.

[Northeast Africa Forum @northeastafrica]

For those in/near Oxford:
ODID presents.... "Khartoum" - an Oxford premiere & Directors Q&A
Film Premiere, St John's College auditorium, Monday 13th October, 5-7:30pm
TICKETS ARE FREE BUT PLACES LIMITED! PLEASE BOOK HERE: https://t.co/WGwomodKQW

[Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus @DrTedros]

El Fasher state in #Sudan has been besieged for over 500 days.

There are 260,000 people in urgent need of health assistance; 5000 suspected #cholera cases including almost 100 deaths; 130,000 children suffering from malnutrition—without enough food to eat; and many sexual violence survivors without any health care or mental health support.

35 health facilities are destroyed. @WHO's supplies have been used up.

We have additional supplies prepositioned in Nyala, ready to move into El Fasher any moment. We call for access to be granted. Lives depend on it!

[Francesca Albanese, UN Special Rapporteur oPt @FranceskAlbs]

To the people of Gaza:
I love you.

I have learnt to know you through your torment every day, and I am ashamed to show your face in the misery and horror we let you endure, while we enjoy our disgraceful life.

May you forgive us.

[Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus @DrTedros]

The #Gaza famine, a man-made catastrophe, has unfolded in front of the world’s eyes.

We saw it coming.
We warned about it.
We were not allowed to stop it.

Now, as we count the lives lost to this intentional starvation, there is only one question to ask world leaders: Where is humanity?

End the blockade of aid — TODAY.
CEASEFIRE!

[WFP Sudan @WFP_Sudan]

Three trucks were destroyed. All drivers are safe.

This is unacceptable. Humanitarian staff & assets must never be a target. Unimpeded access to reach the most vulnerable families in Darfur and all famine-stricken areas is critical.

[People and Nature @PaN_BES]

🌳 New Research - Perceived biodiversity: Is what we measure also what we see and hear?

"Can you see and hear biodiversity? Turns out, you can! We show that people’s perception of forest biodiversity aligns with how biologists measure it and..."
➡️ https://t.co/rPT5ZJKqjI

[Addis Standard @addisstandard]

News: ‘Mothers going to bed after one loaf of bread a day”: #Drought devastates thousands in Central and South #Gondar

Severe drought conditions in #Ethiopia’s #Amhara regional state are affecting tens of thousands in both Central and South Gondar zones, leading to widespread food insecurity, livestock deaths, and internal migration.

In Central Gondar Zone’s West Belesa district, more than 32,000 people in six kebeles—Sami, Lava Mariam, Asawgari, Jandab, Laye, and Sera—are facing acute food shortages due to a prolonged lack of rainfall, according to Wasihun Kefyalew, head of the Central Gondar zone agriculture office. “3,000 hectares of crops have been damaged” and “over 1,200 animals” have perished since May 2025, he told Addis Standard.

In the neighboring South Gondar Zone, the Disaster Prevention and Food Security Office reported that over 175,000 people across 57 kebeles in seven districts are experiencing similar drought conditions. Abebaw Ayenew, a communications expert at the office, told Deutsche Welle that the government has distributed 12,419 quintals of food grains to affected areas including Ebinat, Samada, Sede Muja, and Meket.

However, residents say the aid is insufficient. A witness from Lay Gaint district told Deutsche Welle that locals “have nothing to eat,” and many are resorting to migration. Mitraba, Daba Wotokos, Lay Negala, and Tach Negala kebeles were named among the hardest-hit.

https://t.co/rb7KZEHrmh

[AFSA @Afsafrica]

The First Pan-African Chefs Gathering and Policy Convening on African Food Systems has officially commenced today in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, marking a historic milestone in the continental movement for food sovereignty.

Organized by the Alliance for Food Sovereignty in Africa (AFSA) under the banner of the “My Food Is African” campaign, the three-day convening brings together over 140 participants, including chefs from more than 20 African countries, civil society leaders, farmers, academics, think tanks, and policymakers. The gathering aims to spotlight indigenous African cuisines as vital tools for cultural revival, ecological sustainability, and public health transformation.

#AfricanChefsGathering #Chefs4Agroecology #MyFoodIsAfrican

[MSF International @MSF]

On 16 June, we sent an open letter with a very clear message to EU leaders: The EU can and must act now to stop mass atrocities in Gaza. Yet, amid EU member states' inaction, orchestrated ethnic cleansing in Gaza continues.

@EUCouncil @vonderleyen @eucopresident @EP_President @kajakallas

Over 60,000 Palestinians have been killed, including 12 of our colleagues, the last of whom was shot while trying to collect a bag of flour on 3 July. The human carnage and starvation of Palestinians in Gaza are deliberate. Humanitarian aid is weaponised and blocked. Healthcare services are targeted daily.

On 15 July, the Foreign Affairs Council showed yet another sign of the unwillingness to exert pressure on Israel to stop the genocide in Gaza. Once again, the EU demonstrated hypocrisy and shocking double standards when it comes to protecting civilians and ensuring the respect of international humanitarian law.

After another missed opportunity to end EU complicity with Israel, we reiterate our call on the EU to turn its words into actions and to end its double standards. Every state has a moral and legal responsibility to recognise and stop the ongoing atrocities in Gaza.

[Amnesty International @amnesty]

The EU’s refusal to suspend its agreement with Israel is a cruel and unlawful betrayal – of the European project and vision, predicated on upholding international law and fighting authoritarian practices, of the European Union’s own rules and of the human rights of Palestinians.

[MSF International @MSF]

We’re sharing the results of a retrospective mortality survey we conducted among our colleagues and their families in Gaza. What we found:

🔴 Almost half of the people that the survey covered, who have died since 7 October 2023, are children.

https://t.co/YXioM1U7iH