Browsing by Subject "Green Revolution"
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- ItemOpen AccessThe green paradigm(1992) Knill, William GregoryWithin the Western cosmology there are two distinct interpretations of how humans should relate to their environment, and for the purpose of this dissertation these interpretations have been characterized as cultural paradigms. The paradigms are not concrete entities, they are merely useful abstractions for grouping together mutually supporting assumptions. It is held that the socially dominant interpretation centres on an assumption that people are distinct from nature, while the alternative suggests they are a part of Nature. It is held that the expression of the axioms and assumptions which are collected within what is here called the Dominant Western Environmental Paradigm leads inevitably to a situation of stress and conflict between humans and their environment. The existence of significant anthropogenic ecological stress in the planetary system is taken as given. It is argued that this stress is a symptom of an inappropriately conceptualized relationship between humans and nature. It is further held that the interface between human and nature is a traditional area of geographical concern, and that geography as a discipline should be taking active steps to research the problems and propose solutions. Reasons for the failure of geography as a discipline to address the issue adequately are explored. It is argued that the process of working through the assumptions of the Dominant Western Environmental Paradigm leads to a situation where science, including geography, is subordinated socially to the dictates of economic rationality, and is thus unable to mount a significant challenge to the social and economic structures which are at the root of the ecological stress. It is concluded that only by the conscious process of stepping outside the dominant cultural paradigm will geographers be able to examine the full scope of the problems, and that by framing the disciplinary paradigm of geography so as to be in sympathy with the assumptions of the Green cultural paradigm geographers will discover new and appropriate tools of analysis as well as potential solutions to the ecological stress problem. A number of these are presented and explored. A failure to step outside the ruling framework will, however, constrain analysis. It is argued that no paradigm shift has occurred, on a disciplinary (geographical) or a cultural scale, but that alternative frameworks are sufficiently coherent to support the possibility of such a revolution.
- ItemOpen AccessWho shapes agricultural transformation in Africa? exploring the case of the alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) from a think tank perspective(2022) Vicedom, Stefan Klaus; Wynberg, RachelDue to their high level of complexity and transnational character, environmental and climate change issues increasingly require specialised knowledge and international development strategies. One institution that regularly provides decision-makers with such scientific and international policy expertise is the think tank. With their particular competencies, environmentally-related and climate change related think tanks have become key actors in modern environmental governance systems. Since many African countries have a high proportion of smallholder farmers who experience daily food insecurity and poverty, the transformation of African agriculture has been prioritised in the agenda of many think tanks, international development initiatives, and aid agencies. This applies equally to the Nairobi-based Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA), which was initiated by the Rockefeller Foundation and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation in 2006 and is often labelled as an agricultural think tank. Through its activities, AGRA aims to improve food security in African countries by establishing industrial agricultural practices which were integral elements of earlier Green Revolutions. Accordingly, AGRA widely promotes the application of hybrid seeds, synthetic fertilisers, and other technological solutions to enhance agricultural productivity. However, AGRA and its key partners have increasingly been criticised by experts who claim that AGRA's agenda does not sufficiently address the needs of African smallholder farmers and that it mainly represents political and corporate interests from the Global North. Against this background, this study explored the role of AGRA within the current agricultural transformation in Africa. To this end, the research project analysed AGRA's organisational form, the key elements of its agenda and its network of partners from a think tank perspective. The study further examined how and on what levels AGRA and its partners shape environmental governance processes inside and outside of Africa. Multiple methods were combined to enhance the validity of the findings. These included a desktop study, a network analysis, a discourse-related case study, and key informant interviews. The findings reveal that AGRA is a hybrid organisation that combines key features of a think tank with strong operational dimensions. The results also demonstrated that due to its unidimensional agenda, AGRA fails to stimulate sustainable agricultural transformation in Africa. AGRA's partnerships are characterised by a Global North bias on the decision- making level, with the alliance displaying typical features of an ideological advocacy network. The shaping of governance processes by AGRA and its partners was observed at both national and intergovernmental levels.