Innovations as Key to the Green Revolution in Africa

Africa can achieve self sufficiency in food production through adoption of innovations in the agriculture sector. Numerous soil fertility and crop production technologies have been generated through research, however, wide adoption has been low. African farmers need better technologies, more sustainable practices, and fertilizers to improve and sustain their crop productivity and to prevent further degradation of agricultural lands. The agricultural sector also needs to be supported by functional institutions and policies that will be able to respond to emerging challenges of globalization and climate change.

Africa urgently needs a uniquely African Green Revolution- a revolution that is long overdue, a revolution that will help the continent in its quest for dignity and peace Mr. Kofi Annan, Former Secretary General of the United Nations (UN), currently the Board Chair of Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) Research work on soil in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) has generated numerous outputs but very few have been translated into adoption to improve the livelihoods of the smallholder farmers. This is the greatest challenge Africa needs to address in order to achieve the highly sought after green revolution Andre BationoSoil Health Specialist, Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA), Accra, Ghana  An African Green Revolution can apply the power of knowledge and technology with an environmental touch: disseminating many crop varieties that will thrive in diverse conditions; improving soil health through integrated soil fertility management; and developing technologies that maximize the use of rainwater, deliver small-scale irrigation and mitigate against impacts of unfavourable and changing climatic conditions.

THEME 1: Constraints and Opportunities for the African Green Revolution New Challenges and Opportunities for Integrated Soil Fertility Management in Africa; Meeting the Demands for Plant Nutrients for an African Green Revolution: The Role of Indigenous Agrominerals; The geological basis of farming in Africa; The Challenges in Accessing Agricultural Innovations by West African Family Farms: Institutional and Policy Implications; Achieving an African Green Revolution: A Perspective from an Agri-Input Supplier; The African Green Revolution and the Role of Partnerships in East Africa; Optimizing Agricultural Water Management for the Green Revolution in Africa; Ex-ante evaluation of the impact of a structural change in fertilizer procurement method in sub-Saharan Africa; Preparing Groups of Poor Farmers for Market Engagement: Five Key Skill Sets; Fertilizer microdosing and 'Warrantagea¿ or inventory credit system to improve food security and farmers¿ income in West Africa; African Green Revolution requires a secure source of Phosphorus: A review of alternative sources and improved management options of phosphorus THEME 2: Potential and feasibility of use of external input and improved soil and crop management to achieve the African Green Revolution Soybean varieties, developed in lowland West Africa, retain their promiscuity and dual-purpose nature under highland conditions in Western Kenya; Long-term effect of continuous cropping of irrigated rice on soil and yield trends in the Sahel of West Africa; Conservation tillage, local organic resources and nitrogen fertilizer combinations affect maize productivity in Arid and Semi-Arid Lands in Kenya; Long-term land management effects on crop yields and soil properties in the sub-humid highlands of Kenya; Integrated management of fertilizers, weed and rice genotypes can improve rice productivity; Integrated soil fertility management for increased maize production in the degraded farmlands of the Guinea Savanna Zone of Ghana using devil-bean (Crotalaria retusa) and fertilizer nitrogen; Effect of organic inputs and mineral fertilizer on maize yield in a Ferrasol and a Nitisol soil in central Kenya; Effects of Conservation Tillage, Crop Residue and Cropping Systems on changes in Soil Organic Matter and Maize-Legume Production: A Case Study in Teso District; Benefits of integrated soil fertility and water management in semi-arid West Africa: an example study in Burkina Faso; Survival and Soil Nutrient Changes during Five Years Growth of Sixteen Faidherbia albida Provenances in Semi Arid Baringo District, Kenya; The 'secreta¿ behind the good performance of Tithonia Diversifolia on P availability as compared to other green manures; Biological nitrogen fixation potential by soybeans in two low-P soils of southern Cameroon; Roles for herbaceous and grain legumes, kraal manure and inorganic fertilizers for soil fertility management in eastern Uganda; The Effects Of Integration Of Organic And Inorganic Sources Of Nutrient On Maize Yield In Central Kenya; Forage Legume-Cereal Double Cropping in Bimodal Rainfall Highland Tropics: The Kenyan Case; Effects Of Conservation Tillage, Fertilizer Inputs And Cropping Systems On Soil Properties And Crop Yield In Western Kenya; Effect of manure application on soil nitrogen availability to intercropped sorghum and cowpea at three sites in eastern Kenya; The Effect Of Organic Based Nutrient Management Strategies On Soil Nutrient Availability And Maize Performance In Njoro, Kenya; Using forage legumes to improve soil fertility for enhanced grassland productivity of semi-arid rangelands of Kajiado District, Kenya; Potential of cowpea, pigeonpea and greengram to contribute  nitrogen to maize in rotation on Ferralsol in Tanga - Tanzania; Model Validation through Long Term Promising Sustainable Maize/Pigeon Pea Residue Management in Malawi; Use of Tithonia biomass, Maize residues and Inoraganic phosphate on Climbing Bean yield and Soil pro ...