Cultivating the Future: Exploring the Potential and Impact of a Green Revolution in Africa

Moyer, J.D. and Firnhaber, E. (2012). “Cultivating the Future: Exploring the Potential and Impact of a Green Revolution in Africa.”

African Futures Brief No. 4. Institute for Security Studies and Frederick S. Pardee Center for International Futures, Josef Korbel School of International Studies, University of Denver. Pretoria, South Africa, and Denver, CO, USA.

Despite possessing large tracts of rich, uncultivated land, Africa is a net importer of food and suffers from high levels of undernutrition. Many have argued that a "Green Revolution," defined by increasing crop yields and land under cultivation, could bring about a more sustainable future for the continent. In this policy brief we explore not only the scope and impacts of policy choices that would increase yields and land under cultivation in Africa, but also interventions to facilitate the consumption of the increased food supplies by those in need within Africa.