The Political Economy of the Green Revolution in Africa

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Periodical article

Title:	The Political Economy of the Green Revolution in Africa
Author:	Lawrence, Peter
Year:	1988
Periodical:	Review of African Political Economy
Volume:	15
Issue:	42
Pages:	59-75
Language:	English
Geographic term:	Africa
Subjects:	agricultural innovations agricultural technology Agriculture, Natural Resources and the Environment Development and Technology
External link:	https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/03056248808703776
Abstract:	There is now significant evidence of the introduction and adoption of higher yielding varieties of maize, wheat and rice in Africa, as well as the adoption of other technological innovations in irrigation and mechanization, albeit with widely varying degrees of success. Standard technical explanations associated with the adoption of new technologies in agriculture include low levels of credit, poor supply of inputs, inadequate, faulty or no irrigation, poor extension advice, and low producer prices, as well as the poor state of the relationship between agronomic research and farm level innovation. However, the major technical constraint on successful innovation adoption in Africa is labour supply. As regards the social and economic effects of agricultural innovation, the evidence presented shows that rural economic differentiation has increased both between and within regions, and that access to capital inputs has been heavily biased in favour of the richer farmers. Bibliogr.