Excellent blog post and a discussion that needs to be broadened to go beyond technical and environmental aspects and embrace social issues. The first Green Revolution has given an edge to big farmers - the only ones with the means to fully take advantage of the new techniques and apply them - and now we are seeing that the divide between large landholders and small ones that has always existed is on the increase.
The commentator from Colombia, Jorge Rubiano, has made a fundamental point in this regard, and I hope it won't be overlooked. NO second Green Revolution can ever hope to succeed if social policies that respond to demands of equality and justice are not first put in place.
As to Africa, yes, it's not there yet but it will get there in due course and here too, the hope is that the revolution will not take place at the expense of the rural poor...
Excellent blog post and a discussion that needs to be broadened to go beyond technical and environmental aspects and embrace social issues. The first Green Revolution has given an edge to big farmers - the only ones with the means to fully take advantage of the new techniques and apply them - and now we are seeing that the divide between large landholders and small ones that has always existed is on the increase.
The commentator from Colombia, Jorge Rubiano, has made a fundamental point in this regard, and I hope it won't be overlooked. NO second Green Revolution can ever hope to succeed if social policies that respond to demands of equality and justice are not first put in place.
As to Africa, yes, it's not there yet but it will get there in due course and here too, the hope is that the revolution will not take place at the expense of the rural poor...