Boost for Africa’s green revolution

THE announcement that former UN secretary general Kofi Annan is to lead a campaign that aims to put Africa’s 180 million small farmers at the forefront of development is to be welcomed.

With funding of $150m from the Gates and Rockefeller foundations, Mr Annan’s Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) will seek primarily to increase agricultural productivity by improving access to seed stock, expanding irrigation and similar initiatives.

It is important, however, that AGRA does not go for a ‘quick fix’ by opening the door to genetically modified crops or to an over-reliance on chemicals in crop production, as this will be environmentally damaging and unsustainable in the long term.

AGRA needs to support training initiatives and the use of appropriate technologies such as rain harvesting and drip irrigation systems, crop rotation and diversification, better quality seed and use of composting, etc.

Although per capita food production has actually declined in many parts of sub-Saharan Africa over the past decade, such an approach, together with infrastructural supports like co-operative developments, can pave the way for the kind of ‘green revolution’ which has seen food production triple in Asia and Latin America over recent decades.

George Jacob

Communications Officer

Self Help Development

International

Hacketstown

Co Carlow