Book Review | The African Food Crisis: Lessons from the Asian Green Revolution edited by D. Djurfeldt, H. Holmen, M. Jirstrom, and R. Larsson

This book is a very topical contribution, coming at a time when the world community is increasingly shifting its attention from the agricultural development of Asia to that of Africa. A rapid growth in food production in Asia, in the wake of the Green Revolution, has increased the overall food availability and reduced the incidence of hunger and famine that were of major concerns in Asia four to five decades ago. Agricultural growth in most parts of Africa is, however, still too slow and sporadic to address the food problems adequately and to prevent the resulting major human catastrophes that fill up television screens around the world all too frequently. Are there any lessons that can be drawn from the Asian success that may be applicable to addressing the food crisis in Africa? "If Asia can do it, why not Africa?" This is the theme of this edited volume consisting of 14 chapters.