The role of technology in agricultural intensification: The

In most parts of West Africa, the pattern of evolution has led to increased food production, but a decline in per capita food production. An exception to this scenario is described by focusing on a case from northern Nigeria where production systems have evolved in a way that has resulted in a highly productive system and substantial increases in farmer welfare. It is shown how infrastructure such as good road systems and extension services provided the preconditions for this phenomenon, but the crucial driving force was a technological breakthrough that enabled farmers to achieve significant increases in income by expanding production of a crop in which the area had an ecological comparative advantage. The characteristics of this technological breakthrough that enabled it to play a leading role in the evolution of the production system are identified. While technological breakthroughs are crucial, they need to be situated within a technology development strategy that seeks to achieve both productivity and sustainability of the agroecosystem as a whole.