Meeting Report

A green revolution of one's own

If you think about the environmental movement in the United States in the sixties and seventies, certain images probably come to mind: hippies, DDT, recycling, organic food, Rachel Carson's Silent Spring, tofu. You probably would not think of hunger, education, gender equality, HIV/AIDS, malaria, sanitation, sewage recycling, firewood, technology, or road and market construction. But if necessity is the mother of invention, then these are the parts that are necessary to invent an African Green Revolution that supports the UN Millennium Development Goal (MDG) to halve the number of hungry and malnourished people in Africa by 2015. At the heart of the Green Revolution is the idea that, using existing science and technology, agriculture can become the engine for Africa's economic growth.

"...to halve the number of hungry people in Africa by 2015."

On September 14, 2005, investigators with a wealth of expertise in diverse disciplines gathered at the New York Academy of Sciences for an update on the UN Millennium Project. This project, led by Professor Jeffrey Sachs at the The Earth Institute, was established in 2002 to create a global plan whereby the UN MDGs could be reached by 2015. The Millennium Project coordinates work at the local, national, and international levels, focusing on science and technology to improve the lives and environment of millions of Africans. "It can be done," said Pedro Sanchez, who organized the event, invoking a phrase that would be echoed many times throughout the evening.

Zero point seven is the magic number

In a single year in Kenya, Sanchez reported that Sauri, the first of 12 Millennium Villages, was able to increase its corn production fourfold, and was also able to build a health clinic. He described how, with creativity, solving one problem might solve another. For example, villagers who participate in the Millennium Villages program must donate 10% of their yield for school lunches. This is vital support for school children who might otherwise eat only once during the day. Similarly, by rotating woody plants with maize, villagers give their soil a rest and sidestep the need for women and children to walk many miles every day in search of firewood.

These kinds of gains, said Sanchez, can be made with a relatively modest budget—about $110 per person per year, over 10 years. Of this $110, said Sanchez, $10 per person would be provided by the villages, $30 by the government, and $70 by the international community. This budget, he said, requires a commitment of 0.7% of GNP from developed countries for official development assistance (ODA). In 2004, the US ODA stood at 0.14% of the GNP. There is still a long way to go.

Turning will into action

Where Sanchez spoke of the challenges of global investment, Glen L. Denning, director of the MDG Technical Support Center, spoke of the need to transform national political will into political action. Denning used the case of Malawi as an example to illustrate the great and immediate needs of the African people, and went on to describe a three-part strategy: to save lives now, to save lives next year, and to use a "Smart Aid" strategy to transform agriculture and promote investment in a long-term, sustainable course of action.

Denning recounted that there are 12 million Africans living in landlocked Malawi, 65% of whom live below the poverty level. Thirty percent of the population lives in extreme poverty—and of those, 90% are rural. Malawi is an agrarian country that relies principally on what Denning called "sub-subsistence"-level farming on small farms, using degraded land and poor seeds. This year 4.2 million people in Malawi will not meet their basic food requirements.

This year 4.2 million people in Malawi will not meet their basic food requirements.

Responding to the desperate need to "save lives now," the UN has made an appeal for $51 million in food aid. To this figure, another $37 million has been tacked on for second-stage interventions that will help to increase production, prevent the irreversible effects of malnutrition, and help Africans begin to transform and diversity their agricultural base. Denning even made an appeal to potential investors in the audience, describing how that secondary $37 million investment in higher-yield maize alone could give a $200 million return in six months. "It's a surefire win, a great investment," said Denning. And yet of this $88 million total investment, the UN currently only has about $12 million committed. "This is what Pedro calls 'dumb aid,'" said Denning.

The consequence of failure is an even more desperate situation than already exists in Malawi and throughout Africa—a bigger hole to dig out of. In desperation, people turn to desperate coping mechanisms—sexual assault, crime, selling belongings, etc. "We have to act as though our own lives depended on this," said Denning.

Filling the gap

Building on Denning's call for national political action, Hon. Charity Ngilu, former Minister of Health of Kenya, spoke of the need for African heads of state to put their money where their mouths are (or were). She spoke of her frustration with African leaders whose ambitious manifestos gather dust after they get elected: "Where is your word of honor? You lie to the people you lead, and you lie to women." Ngilu also pointed out that in the 40 years since Kenya became independent, the budget for defense has never decreased. "You assume that Kenya is going to be attacked. But the war we are fighting now is a war against HIV, malaria, AIDS. Why can't you put the money there?"

"The war we are fighting now is a war against HIV, malaria, and AIDS."

Her agitation has forced some much-needed action: Ngilu has talked her way to a 30% budget increase for health in Kenya. And in cooperation with the government of Kenya, the World Bank, the Bush Fund, and other organizations, she has secured hundreds of additional health workers. "We have to look at what we ourselves can do", said Ngilu. But ongoing commitment from the West is still crucial. Said Ngilu, "As long as Africa remains poor, even you developed countries, I don't think you are guaranteed safety, security, and happiness as you enjoy your wealth."

Under the tree

In Sauri, Kenya, there is a tree where villagers gather to hear the news. "Sometimes there are 20 people there, and sometimes there are 500," said Cheryl Palm, principal investigator of the Millennium Villages Project. Palm spoke of the progress made by the individual Millennium Villages and the contributions of the villagers themselves, as crucial to the progress towards achieving the MDGs. In Sauri, villagers have helped to build and staff a health clinic. Men and women gather to participate in talk sessions where they discuss what kinds of work each does. Households are surveyed. Samples are taken: blood, soil, water. Community action plans are participatory, and promote leadership, governance, and money management. More people show up at the tree. They want to know what is going on.

Sometimes the benefits of compliance are not always obvious. Villagers must consider, for example, if the prize of a free mosquito net is worth the risk of getting tested for HIV. Or if the long-term benefits of keeping that mosquito net outweigh the short-term payoff of immediately selling that net at the market. And, if they can produce greater yields of maize using new farming techniques, why should they have to rotate to a woody crop on the off year that won't bring in the same kind of rewards? (Answer: firewood.) Progress, therefore, is neither guaranteed nor automatic. It happens village by village. But it is happening.

The good news

The good news, said Denning, is that the research and technology to accomplish these goals already exist. Whether it be drought-resistant seeds, or GIS systems to map local wells, or insecticide-treated mosquito nets to reduce the risk of malaria, the research has already been done. The challenge will be in the application.

Twelve successful Millennium Villages will not transform Africa by themselves. But 60,000 would.

Twelve successful Millennium Villages will not transform Africa by themselves. But 60,000 would. Denning wants to be able to see results from a satellite. As the project scales up, information technology, and, by association, energy availability will become a larger part of the project. A success or a pitfall from one village could be instantly relayed to another village, instead of relying on word-of-mouth traveling long distances by foot.

The task is sizeable. But the successes of the first 12 villages are a sign of hope. And with political action to back up the political will of "Smart Aid," the returns could be sizeable as well. In other words, it can be done.