CSD exhibit at the African Green Revolution Forum in Accra, Ghana

On the 2^nd – 4^th September 2010 the African Green Revolution Forum took place in Accra, Ghana to discuss ways forward for the development of African agriculture. Prominent African leaders such as Kofi Annan, and agriculturalists attended the 2 day conference. CSD were invited to exhibit at the forum, to share the knowledge gained from the Training for Rural Development: agricultural and enterprise skills for women smallholders report.  CSD were keen to emphasise that although there is clear need for technology development to achieve a Green Revolution in Africa, donors and projects must work to the needs of the smallholders, who are the majority producers globally.  There are good examples of projects already doing this and we must look to learn from their successes and failures.  These approaches can then be integrated into a process to improve technology take-up, to achieve a Green Revolution that is pro-poor and therefore does not ignore those that are both, most in need and at the forefront to achieve global food security.

In response to the conference Chris Gale, Project Manager for CSD, said:

‘It is great to see Ghana host the first African green revolution forum, and for the world’s eyes to be on developing agriculture in Africa.  We must not, however, ignore that it is smallholder farmers who are most in need of the advancement in technology. It is smallholders that produce a vast amount of the world’s food supply, and make up a large percentage of the world’s poor.  There is a great need to understand how smallholders can access and utilise new technology, if not we will simply not be able to develop the huge potential of Africa’s smallholders and in turn reduce the shocking numbers of those in rural areas that are living on less than US$2 a day’.