The new harvest : agricultural innovation in Africa

355 Pages·2015·1.98 MB·English

by  Juma

THE NEW HARVEST

THE NEW HARVEST
AGRICULTURAL INNOVATION IN AFRICA
Second Edition
Calestous Juma
1
1
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Juma, Calestous, author.
The new harvest : agricultural innovation in Africa / Calestous
Juma. — [Second edition]
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978–0–19–023723–3 (pbk. : alk. paper) 1. Agriculture—Economic
aspects—Africa. 2. Agricultural innovations—Economic aspects—Africa.
3. Economic development—Africa. I. Title.
HD9017.A2J86 2015
338.1’6096—dc23
2015003225
1 3 5 7 9 8 6 4 2
Printed in the United States of America on acid-free paper
In memory of Christopher Freeman, father of the field
of science policy and innovation studies

CONTENTS
FOREWORD TO THE SECOND EDITION IX
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS XI
INTRODUCTION XVII
1 The Growing Economy 1
2 Advances in Science, Technology,
and Engineering 39
3 Leapfrogging in Genetic Technologies 61
4 Agricultural Innovation Systems 83
5 Enabling Infrastructure 117
6 Human Capacity 146
7 Entrepreneurship 183
8 Governing Innovation 218
viii Contents
9 Plowing Ahead 253
NOTES 267
INDEX 301
FOREWORD TO THE SECOND EDITION
The publication of the first edition of The New Harvest was
written as a manifesto for the optimist. It was meant to be a
call to action. The book was released on the heels of a series
of food price spikes and the Arab Spring uprising in North
Africa. The Arab Spring provided clear evidence that the abil-
ity of a country to feed itself was linked to its national security.
The events helped create a sense of urgency among African
leaders to focus on agriculture as a foundation for the long-
term economic transformation of the continent.
This edition serves four purposes. First, it acts as report
card on what has been achieved since the release of the first
edition. The main message from the lessons of the last five
years is that countries can overcome their most intractable
challenge if they can bring high-level political capital to bear
on the search for solutions. The first edition was launched in
Arusha (Tanzania) by the five heads of the East African Com-
munity (Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, and Uganda).
The fact that the leaders were willing to launch a book they
had not yet read testifies to their willingness to take risks with
new ideas to address a persistent problem.
The second purpose is to underscore Africa’s latecomer
advantages. Exponential growth in science, technology, and
engineering is expanding the range of technical knowledge
that the continent can marshal for agricultural transformation.