An African Revolution

Smarter policies are cheaper than misguided ones, but they're still not free, which raises the question of money. So far, funding for Africa's green revolution has largely come from private philanthropies. The Open Society Institute and the Gates and Rockefeller foundations, as well as many individuals, have already committed more than $200 million to the project. It is hoped that the public sector will follow (so far, only the Japanese government has stepped forward). More money will allow African governments to increase the number of new programs from the 78 villages where they're now being run to the approximately 100,000 villages that need them. The African green revolution has already taken off. But it's now up to the rich donor countries and local governments to make the gains stick and extend them throughout the continent.

Pedro Sanchez is director of the Tropical Agriculture and of the Millennium Villages Project at Columbia University's Earth Institute.

© 2007