Monday, April 30, 2012

Africa Sows Seeds of a Green Revolution


By Alec RussellPublished December 27, 2011Link http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/9806e84a-f655-11e0-86dc-00144feab49a.html#axzz1tYShONQv

Summary            It’s no surprise that agriculture in Africa is limited because of the harsh weather patterns and poverty that has struck the nation. But for Africans there is still hope that they will be able to provide their own agriculture with a green revolution. A green revolution is when efforts are made to bring thriving agriculture to an area or country. The hope of the green revolution is to provide food for Africans that is grown in Africa. Today most of the food in Africa is imported from other countries.  Not only will African’s benefit from their own food, but money wouldn’t need to be spent importing food. This isn’t the first green revolution to take place. A previous green revolution took place in Asia and it proved to be successful. Though the green revolution was successful once before, there are many challenges that will need be overcome, and there is not telling what the results of the green revolution in Africa will be.



Opinion/Reflection            I never heard about a green revolution before, and I was surprised to learn what it was all about. At first, I thought the green revolution would be a worldwide effort to recycle and go green, but it wasn’t. I think the green revolution could be successful, but I don’t know if it will be worth all that time and money. Conditions in Africa are too harsh for agriculture, but they are also harsh in Asia and that revolution had positive results. I like the idea of providing Africans with their own food and I think this is a problem that could easily be solved. Having to pay for food to be imported is also a factor in Africa’s poverty. The green revolution impacts me because without it, food would need to be imported, and that means that some farms are providing for more than one country. I definitely think the green revolution is worth a try!



Questions1.      What are some ways to make the land in Africa suitable for farming?
2.      Should there be more awareness around the green revolution? Why or why not?
3.      What would happen if the green revolution was not successful?
4.      How does the green revolution impact other parts of the world?


The green revolution would bring agriculture to Africa. This effort has already started in some parts . This is a picture of  a farm that already started growing crops.