Green Revolution for Africa?

Last week the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation announced that they plan to invest $900 million this year in programs related to agricultural development. A large part of this grant will go to improve seeds and soil in Africa; funding that can have a positive impact African agriculture.  So far Africa did not have its own Green Revolution; a region that needs such revolution more than any other continent in the world. In the 60’s and 70’s green revolution countries in Asia, Latin America and the Middle East were able to increase their food productivity which allowed them lift millions out of hunger and poverty with new technology in seed, fertilizers and irrigation system. But Africa missed out on the Green Revolution. "Africa is the only region in the world in which per capita food production has fallen steadily over the past 40 years explains Eric Solheim, Norway’s minister of international development. Better agricultural methods and increased production will be crucial”.

Why did Africa miss out on the Green Revolution of the 1960s and 70s? The answer is debatable but I think it is because of the diverse nature of African countries, unfavorable climate and poor productivity and technology. The agricultural sector suffers from lack of disease resistance crops, poor seeds and farming practices.

There is no question that meeting the first Millennium Development Goal of halving hunger in Africa requires the region to overcome its agricultural challenges. In addition, the current food crises in southern and horn of Africa make a Green Revolution- African style more crucial than ever. African farmers highly depend on rain-fed agriculture than irrigation which will be exacerbated with the current climate change. On top of that the price of food and high population growth rate are making the situation worse.

However, there is a promising initiative headed by former United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan to reverse this progress with generous funds from foundations and governments. Upon accepting his new position last year as Chairman of the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA), Annan stated that “we must address poverty at its core. In Africa, this means enabling small-scale farmers to grow and sell  Africa ’s food.” He added “the major cause of our continental poverty [is] an agricultural sector that has languished but is now poised to be so much more productive and dynamic”.

The Gates Foundation grant announced last week will compliment existing efforts in agricultural development. For instance, a new gene storage bank will allow countries in Africa, Latin America, and Asia to collect and save important genetic information about important local crop varieties. According to Cary Fowler, director of the Rome-based Global Crop Diversity Trust, “if you're an American farmer and search a gene bank in the U.S. for a strain of disease-resistant wheat there's quite a good possibility that it isn't there might. But you might find it by searching records in Ethiopia or Poland."

Time will tell if green revolution will materialize in Africa or not, but the recent progress is worth pointing out and gives hope for Africans. As Bill Gates highlighted in last weeks announcement “These investments—from improving the quality of seeds, to developing healthier soil, to creating new markets—will pay off not only in children fed and lives saved. They can have a dramatic impact on poverty reduction as families generate additional income and improve their lives."

Comments

[Charles Uphaus]

Africa missed out on the first green revolution for a host of reasons, some of which you mention. One of the most signifiant reasons, of course, is that Africa is 50+ countries, most of them with relatively young histories and national identities, and a lack of strong institutions and infrastructure. It's the double whammy of infrastructural (roads, irrigation) and institutional (research, education) deficiencies, in the context of a political instability and economic rent seeking, that accounts for the past failures. The renewed attention on the part of African leaders, under NEPAD, to agriculture and food production is one of the more promising developments, along with the increased funding from Gates and others.