Africa Push for the Green Revolution

Development of new varieties of staples such as corn, wheat and rice, is a significant phenomenon that conquered hunger years ago in several parts of the developing world, but not in Africa where the continent still has to experience its own green revolution. Africa has experienced daunting problems, man-made and otherwise and still has to come -up with effective strategies to conquer poverty and hunger. However, Prof. Pedro Sanchez, a world class soil scientist and former Director General of the International Center for Research in Agroforestry (ICRAF), Kenya, in a seminar at the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture is optimistic when he said that "The African farmers need to know when to apply the correct quantity and quality of fertilizer, credit support to enhance and expand their holdings, efficient crop processing capabilities to add value to farm produce, and good market outlets to sell their harvests".

In his seminar, Prof. Sanchez expounded on the initiatives of the Hunger Task Force of the Millennium Project, an advisory body to the United Nations Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), to which he is a co-chair. The project is the world's time-bound and quantified targets for addressing extreme poverty in its many dimensions which also includes the basic human right for good health, education, shelter, and security. Project successes in Malawi are expected  to be duplicated in in Kenya, Ethiopia, Nigeria, and in many parts of Africa.

Details of the project and the press release can be accessed at: http://www.iita.org/cms/details/news_details.aspx?articleid=1269&zoneid=81