Just agricultural science: The green revolution, biotechnologies, and marginalized farmers in Africa

Abstract

Contemporary agricultural development has changed in significant ways since the green revolution (GR). Its goals have expanded beyond national development to the achievement of environmental and social goals, and, notably, targeted gains for marginalized farmers. Moreover, advances in molecular breeding have expanded the tools used to achieve such goals. This research examines a prominent agricultural biotechnology program, pest resistant (Bt) cowpea in Burkina Faso, and asks whether and how this program can best achieve its goal of delivering benefits for marginalized farmers. I argue that 2 substantially criticized assumptions of GR-era agricultural development—the scale-neutrality of seeds and the sufficiency of expert technical knowledge—continue to guide the Bt cowpea project and limit its ability to deliver benefits for marginalized farmers. The presence of these guiding assumptions can be located in key programmatic decisions that work at a cross purpose to the project’s social goals, notably (a) the choice of parent variety favoring commercial producers, (b) an absence of institutions to extend adoption and benefits, and (c) a lack of meaningful farmer inclusion. This case adds to a body of research that shows that biological innovations alone—what I call “just agricultural science”—are not sufficient to drive socially just outcomes for marginalized farmers without accompanying social innovations.