Design different Green Revolution versions to fit Africa's contexts, Dione tells experts
By Yinka Adeyemi, Communication Officer, ECA
16 November 2004

A key challenge to triggering a Green Revolution in Africa is the diversity of agroecological zones, farming systems and social-cultural contexts in the region, Josue Dione, Director of Sustainable Development Division (SDD) of the Economic Commission for Africa said today.

In an address to about 25 experts from Africa, Asia and Latin America who begin a 3-day meeting on the Principles, Methodology and Strategy for Promoting the African Green Revolution, Dr. Dione said that this diversity meant that different versions of Green Revolution must be designed to fit different contexts.

“However, the designs principles must be the same – the African Green Revolution must be scientifically valid, economically viable, environmentally friendly, socially acceptable and manageable by African farming communities,” he said.

Such designs, Dione told the experts, must analyze best practices, successes and experiences with relevance to Africa. The designs must identify the potentials, entry points, driving forces and leverage factors that may be used to drive African farming communities from subsistence farming to sustainable modernization of agriculture and rural transformation.

The design principles were spotlighted at SDD’s Field Project on Identification and Assessment of African Green Revolution Indicators in Kampala in December 2003 where experts concluded that they represented a good example of an African Green Revolution prototype/pilot project.

Dr. Dione urged the experts, who will review SDD’s 91-page landmark’s design and training manual on the Principles, Methodology and Strategy for Promoting the African Green Revolution, to reflect on the potential, readiness and prospects of Africa to design, trigger and implement a Green Revolution and to provide feedback on their assessment of the Manual.