Africa contains three quarters of the world’s poorest countries, and in 2010, a third of the population- the highest of any region in the world- was hungry. Ironically though, agriculture employs 65% of Africa’s labor force and accounts for 32% of GDP.

Africa needs an agricultural revolution. But does Africa need a Green Revolution

The Green Revolution was a technology- and policy-based agricultural revolution that applied modern technologies such as irrigation, improved seeds, fertilizers, and pesticides to worldwide agricultural production in the 1960’s.

The Green Revolution rightfully celebrates many successes.

In Asia, studies show a reduction in hunger, raised employment levels, lowered food prices, and higher wages for farmers. Scientific advancements were also made. For example, IRRI’s site-specific nutrient management method reduced fertilizer usage and nitrate runoff, while increasing yields, by precisely applying nutrients based on plant composition and stage of growth. Additionally, Green Revolution technologies increased crop yields on existing land, protecting existing forestland and water from cultivation. In India alone, increased yields saved an estimated thirty-six million hectares of forest.

But, the Green Revolution was not all positive.

It did not end poverty or hunger. India is still home to 40% of the world’s malnourished children. And in Bangladesh, downward trends in rice prices increased relative prices of other, more micronutrient-rich produce, contributing to micronutrient-deficient diets.

Africa needs to address systemic issues such as infrastructure and irrigation. Africa has invested relatively little in rural infrastructure development, leading to high transportation and marketing costs for African farmers. Similarly, only 4% of African land is currently irrigated, compared with 19% in Latin America and 37% in Asia. Without these enabling investments, Africa cannot effectively address hunger and poverty.

Africa needs to implement policies that will maximize the impact of the revolution on hunger and poverty. African governments have consistently spent as little as 5–6% on agriculture. In contrast, Asian countries typically spend 15% or more of their budgets on agriculture. In India specifically, the Green Revolution was fueled and funded by the public sector: the government enacted price floors on crops to ensure high prices for farmers when crop supply increased, and huge investments were made in roads, irrigation, and seeds. Africa must do the same.

The Green Revolution also contributed to income inequality in Central America, where rights to land were not secure for the poor, as prevalence of cash crops increased the price of a nutritionally balanced diet. Further, expensive inputs such as fertilizer and water were heavily subsidized for select groups, rendering them inaccessible for many. Africa needs to learn from this and promote increased access to capital, especially for small and mid-sized farmers and women.

Critics of the Green Revolution argue that heavy reliance on chemical inputs is environmentally degrading and unsustainable. Growing high-yielding crops in dryland areas requires significant irrigation, which can lead to practices that reduce groundwater levels, deplete soil nutrients, and cause abandonment of farming lands. This is not just a claim by environmentalists: the IAASTD 2008 report stated that, in countries like India, heavy usage of synthetic nitrogen fertilizer is not a sustainable solution. However, Africa is currently only using 9kg/hectare- far less than India. And we must consider the negative environmental impact of the current low-productivity farming. With relatively low current levels of chemical inputs, and with a yield gap of 500,000 tons/year, targeted chemical inputs may be necessary.

“This is not just a claim by environmentalists: the IAASTD 2008 report stated that, in countries like India, heavy usage of synthetic nitrogen fertilizer is not a sustainable solution. ”

But, as suggested by the UNEP, biotech alone is not the answer. Wheat and rice are not staple crops in Africa, and current science is not as advanced for Africa’s native crops or their associated diseases. Africa will need to consider agro-ecological approaches. Specific examples include: no-till farming- a conservation practice where soil is minimally disturbed, and cover crops, trees, and crop rotations are leveraged to maximize a plant’s access to nutrients and water; drip-irrigation- a precision agriculture technique where water is applied directly to each plant’s roots, reducing overall water usage and weed prevalence; and biological pest controls- an integrated pest management technique that employs natural predators and parasites to control weeds and pests.

The future of agriculture in Africa depends on celebrating the successes, and learning from the mistakes, of the Green Revolution.

There is plenty of low-hanging fruit that Africa can harvest with Green Revolution technologies. By adding supporting infrastructure advancements and policies, and combining with agro-ecological practices, Africa will have a real revolution to celebrate.