Transforming African Agriculture by Promoting Improved Technology and Management Practices

The report examines the potential for a 'Green Revolution' in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) by comparing crop yields and technologies with tropical Asia (specifically India) and advanced regions within SSA, such as South Africa. It identifies rice as a highly promising crop for productivity gains through the combination of high-yielding varieties, fertilizer, and improved management practices. The paper argues that agricultural transformation requires a complementary approach where productive technology and management practices are developed first, followed by extension services and marketing improvements. While maize and sorghum show potential for technology transfer from South Africa, the report suggests that millet and sorghum require more fundamental research due to limited success even in India.

• The failure to achieve a Green Revolution in sub-Saharan Africa is attributed to three primary factors: a lack of high-yielding, fertilizer-responsive crop varieties; a lack of knowledge regarding improved management practices (such as bunding, leveling, and crop rotation); and the high cost of modern inputs coupled with low product prices due to underdeveloped markets.
• Rice is identified as a promising crop for a Green Revolution in SSA, with the potential for yields to approach those seen in Asia if there is investment in high-yielding seeds, correct fertilizer application, improved management practices like bunding, and farmer education.
• The potential for a Green Revolution in other grains varies: wheat has already seen adoption of semi-dwarf varieties and chemical fertilizers in some SSA highlands; maize transformation is viewed as a "daunting task" despite potential technology transfer from South Africa; and millet and sorghum show limited potential for technology transfer from India because yield growth in India has also been slow.
• For high-value crops managed via contract farming, the primary barriers are not technological or managerial but are related to transaction costs. The report suggests that improving the entrepreneurial human capital of farmers is the fundamental strategy to expand this production.
• Agricultural transformation requires a sequenced approach to innovation: productive technology and improved management practices must be developed first, followed by extension activities and improvements in marketing.

APA

Webmaster (2016). Transforming African Agriculture by Promoting Improved Technology and Management Practices. African Center for Economic Transformation. https://acetforafrica.org/research-and-analysis/reports-studies/reports/transforming-african-agriculture-by-promoting-improved-technology-and-management-practices/

Chicago

Webmaster. Transforming African Agriculture by Promoting Improved Technology and Management Practices. African Center for Economic Transformation, 2016. https://acetforafrica.org/research-and-analysis/reports-studies/reports/transforming-african-agriculture-by-promoting-improved-technology-and-management-practices/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Webmaster |title=Transforming African Agriculture by Promoting Improved Technology and Management Practices |publisher=African Center for Economic Transformation |date=29 September 2016 |url=https://acetforafrica.org/research-and-analysis/reports-studies/reports/transforming-african-agriculture-by-promoting-improved-technology-and-management-practices/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{webmaster2016transforming, author = {Webmaster}, title = {{Transforming African Agriculture by Promoting Improved Technology and Management Practices}}, institution = {African Center for Economic Transformation}, year = {2016}, month = sep, url = {https://acetforafrica.org/research-and-analysis/reports-studies/reports/transforming-african-agriculture-by-promoting-improved-technology-and-management-practices/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }