Challenges of the Green Revolution

Having looked at the green revolution in Africa through a positive lens it is important to examine who is benefiting the most and who may be getting left behind. 

Farmers left behind. 

Organisations such as the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) and Millenium Promise Alliance (MPA) have shown how new seeds have improved crop yields and resistance.  However, the most recent AGRA 2021 report highlights that only 49% of the 11 million farmers directly reached for new technology and infrastructure between 2017-2021 actually adopted the new seed varieties. One major reason for this is that families have been farming for their livelihoods for a long time and have developed cultural practices that are not accounted for when introducing new technology. Another reason for this is that the new seeds tend to be more expensive than the ones previously used. This leads to the improved yield not making up for the cost of the new seeds planted over smaller areas. Overall, the main beneficiaries of this are usually medium-scale farmers with more land and the seed companies themselves. This leaves smallholder farmers behind while the gap between them and more affluent farmers widens. 

An example in Ethiopia

Ethiopia is a landlocked country in Western Africa that is reliant on rain-fed agriculture. Ethiopia's strong variable climate makes it susceptible to drought. This occurs when there is a prolonged period of little to no rainfall. As a result, farming here is quite unpredictable and crops can fail during these periods. This leads to Ethiopia having a lack of food security with 20.4 million people needing food assistance. These challenges are further exacerbated by the ongoing conflict in the region despite ceasefires and peace talks occurring. Therefore, improving agricultural technologies here can mitigate these issues of food security.

One major way the green revolution has impacted Ethiopia is through the use of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs). GMO crops are produced by altering genes through the use of recombinant DNA technology. This can give these crops certain characteristics such as higher yield, drought resistance, and disease resistance. Maize is an important GMO crop here as it is very versatile, being used for food, fuel, and as a source of income. Three-quarters of this maize produced is used by small-holder farmers themselves but the average crop yield of 3.6 tonnes/hectare is still lower than the world average of 5.6 tonnes/hectare. This can be attributed to plant diseases such as TLB and MSV and the harsh climate. Negative public perceptions about GMO crops and unknown biosafety hazards still remain a challenge. Finally, Ethiopian policy mainly subsidises state farms which only widens the socioeconomic gap for smallholder farmers. 

Figure 1: Maize crops infected with MSV.

Overall, for the green revolution to be successful in Ethiopia and other countries across Africa. Farmers at all scales need to benefit from GMOs through equitable policies. GMO crops also need to be adapted to local environments to be effective.