Win-Win Solutions from a New Green Revolution

The author proposes a new green revolution focused on sustainable land management and water harvesting to meet development goals and climate risks. He argues that investing in small-scale rainfed agriculture and conservation agriculture can double or triple crop yields while sequestering carbon. The document identifies systemic barriers, such as the policy fixation on large-scale irrigation and the administrative split between 'wet' water ministries and 'dry' agriculture ministries, and calls for integrated national strategies in Africa to scale these solutions.

• The author asserts that development issues like poverty and infrastructure can no longer be separated from climate change and biodiversity loss because all scientific disciplines show accelerated negative trends, meaning vulnerable nations must invest in both short- and long-term solutions.
• Agriculture in tropical regions is identified as the primary area for addressing poverty and climate adaptation because 70% of the world's absolute poor are rural farmers in these regions, where agriculture is predominantly governed by water.
• A new green revolution is required to increase food production by 40% by 2050, with Africa specifically needing to double agricultural production within 40 years while contributing to climate mitigation and biodiversity protection.
• The author argues that the most promising investments for climate adaptation and productivity are small-scale rainfed agriculture and water harvesting, which can potentially double, triple, or quadruple the yields of basic cereals like maize, millet, sorghum, and wheat in savannah systems.
• Sustainable land management can transform agriculture from a source of carbon—currently responsible for one third of emissions—into a carbon sink.
• Two primary barriers hinder the scaling of these solutions: a mainstream international policy fixation on irrigation and a governance split where 'wet' Ministries of Water Resources and 'dry' Ministries of Agriculture operate separately.
• For African nations, the author recommends integrated national strategies combining water harvesting, sustainable land management, and integrated nutrient management, supported by top-down soil fertilization initiatives to kickstart production.

APA

Rockström, J. (2010). Win-Win Solutions from a New Green Revolution. World Resources Institute. https://files.wri.org/d8/s3fs-public/2023-02/wrr-2010-11-question-7-response-1.pdf

Chicago

Rockström, Johan. Win-Win Solutions from a New Green Revolution. World Resources Institute, 2010. https://files.wri.org/d8/s3fs-public/2023-02/wrr-2010-11-question-7-response-1.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Rockström |first1=Johan |title=Win-Win Solutions from a New Green Revolution |publisher=World Resources Institute |date=2010 |url=https://files.wri.org/d8/s3fs-public/2023-02/wrr-2010-11-question-7-response-1.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{rockstrm2010winwin, author = {Rockström, Johan}, title = {{Win-Win Solutions from a New Green Revolution}}, institution = {World Resources Institute}, year = {2010}, url = {https://files.wri.org/d8/s3fs-public/2023-02/wrr-2010-11-question-7-response-1.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }