Viewpoint: Toward a sustainable Green Revolution in sub-Saharan Africa: The case of maize and rice

Abstract

This Viewpoint article synthesizes seminal research from multiple disciplines in a virtual special collection (VSC) of Elsevier articles to highlight critical remaining steps to achieve a sustainable Green Revolution (SGR) in Africa. It is now widely recognized that the combined use of improved seeds and inorganic fertilizers – which were critical to the Asian Green Revolution – are necessary but insufficient conditions for African farmers to sustainably raise the productivity of their cereal crops. We highlight three key conclusions emerging from the VSC. First, achieving a maize SGR in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) will require the development of site-specific soil management practices that can be consistently applied by highly resource-constrained farmers. This condition is far from being achieved in most of SSA. Second, the challenges to achieving a rice SGR are different: Best management practices are largely established and effective. Rice yields have already increased dramatically in parts of SSA where Asian-style seed-fertilizer technology and cultivation practices have been adopted. Therefore, the priority for enhancing rice productivity in SSA is to promote wider adoption of these established practices in rice-producing areas. Third, overcoming these challenges for both maize and rice requires strong adaptive agricultural research, development, and extension organizations on the ground. Many African countries currently lack these organizations to carry out the core activities required to achieve a SGR; therefore, building institutional capacity for national and regional agricultural research, extension, and policy analysis is a fundamental component of an effective SGR strategy.