GREEN REVOLUTION'S VALUE FOR AFRICA QUESTIONED REGION Edition

The Green Revolution never arrived for several reasons. First, the Green Revolution focused on breeding improved seeds for just a few varieties of wheat and rice; Africans farm hundreds of crop varieties. Second, with its drier terrain, Africa isn't as suited to the irrigated techniques. Finall...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inPittsburgh post-gazette (Pittsburgh, Pa. 1978)
Main Author Eric Hand St. Louis Post-Dispatch
Format Newspaper Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Pittsburgh, Pa Pittsburgh Post - Gazette 17.12.2006
Subjects
Borlaug, Norman
ST. LOUIS
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Summary:The Green Revolution never arrived for several reasons. First, the Green Revolution focused on breeding improved seeds for just a few varieties of wheat and rice; Africans farm hundreds of crop varieties. Second, with its drier terrain, Africa isn't as suited to the irrigated techniques. Finally, Asian roads in 1960 were better than African roads today; the terrible state of infrastructure makes seed and fertilizer distribution difficult. Africans use the least amount of fertilizer in the world and pay the most for it. The debate over the legacy of the Green Revolution cuts to the heart of the hunger issue in Africa, a continent left largely untouched by modern agriculture. Green Revolution proponents say that hunger can be solved with higher yields -- whether through fertilizer, irrigation or biotechnology. Meanwhile, critics say that hunger's root cause is poverty -- and that modern agriculture, including biotechnology, will increase dependence on corporate-held technology.
ISSN:1068-624X