Genetic Resources Action International (GRAIN)

GRAIN is an international NGO that began in the 1980s as a coalition of likeminded people doing research, advocacy and lobbying around loss of diversity on farms. Its work evolved to focus on linking up with, supporting and connecting local partners and movements championing diverse food systems and challenging monocultures and land grabs in the Global South.

GRAIN produces numerous reports and analyses which are based on solid research, and which have a record of being used directly in the field, to advise action, and to spark collaborations. For example, GRAIN produced a report in 2015 on how foreign donors and governments are pushing land and seed privatisation in Africa, and this became important material for training groups in the region. On top of this, GRAIN provides direct support to local communities and groups combatting land and water grabs, either through media outreach, setting up workshops, or carrying out research.

Synchronicity Earth began to support GRAIN in 2017 and we see the organisation as a key partner working in the Congo Basin region to connect and empower local communities in resisting agro-industrial plantations and plotting alternative development pathways.