5.5 The Green Revolution

Positive Impacts of The Green Revolution: A few positive impacts of the Green Revolution include an increase in crop yield and better income for farmers. "Academic Journal" states, "These interventions resulted in huge increases in returns which in turn enhanced the farmers’ incomes" (Exploring the need and suitability of “The green revolution” in South Africa).

Negative Impacts of The Green Revolution: A few negative impacts of the Green Revolution include water salinization, loss of jobs due to mechanization, and soil losing vital elements due to excessive fertilizer use. "Academic Journal" states, "Looking at the impact of excessive use of nitrogenous fertilizers from an environmental point of view, soils tend to suffer and lose vital trace elements that cannot be replenished through these fertilizers...The crops’ severe demand for water could lead to salinization of the soil which in turn could raise the water table levels in areas where drainage is poor thereby depriving crops of oxygen. Evidence from du Preez et al. (2011) indicates that South African soils already have low organic matter levels; with at least 58% containing less than 0.5% organic carbon and only 4% contain more than 2% organic carbon. Other challenges that could threaten the adoption of the Green Revolution technologies include their heavy reliance on mechanization at the expense of labour. South Africa’s current high levels of unemployment present a strong case against such technologies that will result in workers, farm workers in this case, losing their jobs and the salaries of those remaining employed pushed down" (Exploring the need and suitability of “The green revolution” in South Africa). The AMSCO textbook states, "Unlike Latin America and Asia, Africa benefited very little from successes of the Green Revolution. The reasons the Green Revolution failed throughout the continent of Africa are environmental, economic, and cultural. 

•Africa has a greater diversity of climate and soils than other places. Hence, development of the right fertilizers proved to be very expensive. 

•Africa has many regions with harsh environmental conditions. Insects, plants, and viral strains proved to be extremely challenging to the Green Revolution researchers and their technology.

• Africa is large and lacks a well-developed transportation infrastructure, so the costs of investment in research, development, and transportation were very high.

• Africa’s staple crops such as sorghum, millet, cassava, yams, cowpeas, and peanuts were not always included in research for seed-hybridization programs."