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.