UN report calls for ‘Green Revolution’ by Africa’s small farmers

A ‘green revolution’ led by Africa’s small farmers, and harnessing the latest technologies and innovations, is vital if the continent is to reduce extreme poverty and hunger by 2015, just two of the eight globally agreed Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), according to a new United Nations report.

The 2010 Technology and Innovation Report, issued by the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), warns that ‘ineffective farming techniques and wasteful post-harvest practices’ have left Sub-Saharan Africa as the region most likely to miss the MDGs on poverty and hunger.

Agriculture forms the basis of many African economies and provides the largest source of employment and livelihood for Africans. However, per capita food production in the least developed countries (LDCs) has declined continuously over the past 40 years – dropping by one-fifth between the early 1970s and the mid-2000s.

The report argues that innovations and major improvements in the technologies employed by African smallholder farmers are needed to restore food security.

It urges a ‘green revolution’ for Africa built on technology and innovation aimed at the needs and capabilities of millions of smallholder farmers and at coping with the continent’s varying climate conditions.

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