Journal of Food, Agriculture and Environment

Missing prerequisites for Green Revolution in Africa: Lessons and challenges of Sawah rice eco-technology development and dissemination in Nigeria and Ghana

Author(s):

O. I. Oladele ^1*, R. K. Bam ², M. M. Buri ³, T. Wakatsuki ¹

Recieved Date: 2009-11-24, Accepted Date: 2010-04-05

Abstract:

This paper reviews past efforts to kick start green revolution in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) with the emphasis that there are missing prerequisites for the actualization and realization of Green Revolution due to the absence of suitable growing environment for rice production on farmers fields in SSA. Sawah eco-technology was described in the paper as an established and proven solution for the actualization of Green Revolution in SSA. The paper examined the trend for the development and dissemination of sawah technology in Nigeria and Ghana, and consequently the benefits of the technology. Through sawah technology significant breakthroughs, which have always been the obstacle to high rice yield, include the ability to utilize the inland valleys and floodplain for sustainable rice production, effective water control for rice production in inland valleys for high rice yield and weed reduction, the use of sawah eco-technology to overcome the shortage of fertilizers through microbial nitrogen fixation and geological fertilization on sawah plots. Major challenges for up-scaling the technology are the issues of land tenure, cost of power tiller and trained manpower. The sawah rice production technology has afforded the awareness that more hectares of lowland can be put into rice production within a short time and still be sustained effectively and efficiently with high yield sufficient enough to herald the much awaited Green Revolution in West Africa.

Keywords:

Sawah, eco-technology, Green Revolution, SSA, rice production

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Journal: Journal of Food, Agriculture and Environment
Year: 2010
Volume: 8
Issue: 2
Category: Environment
Pages: 1014-1018

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