Delivering the 2013 distinguished annual lecture organised by the College of Agriculture, Osun State University, titled ‘Agronomy or Brown Revolution needed in sub-Saharan Africa? Engagement of the Youth in Science-driven Agribusiness’, the IITA helmsman stated that “Africa needs to avoid opening up new lands and clearing forests to increase yields which have negative consequences on the environment and lead to loss of biodiversity.”
Specifically, he declared that for Africa to witness a “green revolution,” the continent must sustainably intensify its agricultural production system, use organic and inorganic inputs, and also pay attention to the youth by engaging them in every sector of agriculture.
Sanginga reiterated that in order to sustain agricultural intensification, Africa must increase food production from existing farmland while minimising pressure on the environment. This, he said, would address the challenges of increasing demand for food from a growing global population in a world where land, water, energy and other inputs are in short supply, overexploited and used unsustainably.
The IITA director general maintained that if Africa had been efficiently using inputs including both organic and inorganic – herbicides and fertilizers – the continent would have benefited from the genetic gains recorded by researchers over the years through breeding programmes.
“For example, if you take cassava, we have had genetic gains through breeding but instead of getting 50 t/ha we are getting 15 t/ha on most farmers’ fields. If we were applying fertilizers, we would have recorded higher yields…and this is the situation not only with cassava but with several other crops,” he explained.
Prof. G.A. Olawoyin, Chairman of the Governing Council of the university, noted the need for a “brown revolution” in Africa, and agreed that the engagement of the youth in agribusiness is relevant to the situation of Nigeria and Africa in general.
