The green book: a guide to effective graduate research in African agriculture, environment and rural development

Achieving food security and poverty alleviation in sub-Saharan Africa will require a large cadre of well-trained agriculturists, and development partnerships that derive their agenda from the needs and voices of the continent’s populace. It will require team work, combined with a new set of leaders who use participatory approaches and tools relevant to Africa’s socio-economic situation. Institutions in Africa must develop new ways of teaching with tools that can be adapted to the training needs of African scholars so that they can re-orient their students to: think creatively, value team work and partnerships, recognise that they belong to a global world, and that whatever they do, should contribute to the improvement of the welfare of African’s people. Unfortunately African scholars and fieldworkers often lack reference materials that are based on local experiences. The Green Book is intended to equip young African scholars with guidance for their thesis study, and to prepare them for the leadership roles that will be expected of them on completion of their studies. The book is written as a guide and examples from the continent are used to highlight the issues. It implores students to always be aware of the bigger picture – the development goal – and to realise that he/she is not operating in a box. We are all part of a community, and indeed, of a global world that is changing – and we must adjust in order to cope with the changing needs of society. This first edition is relevant to all students, but is biased towards those in eastern and southern African universities. It is hoped that the second edition that will be published in both French and English will be broader in scope and will include West African reality. The editors welcome all comments and suggestions for improvement in future editions. The Green Book is linked to many other books, organisations, institutions, and dedicated persons, we acknowledge their contributions and those of all contributors. This book is published under the aegis of the African Crop Science Society (ACSS) which is pan-African in its coverage. The ACSS was the brainchild of staff at Makerere University where it is based, thus, it was a natural choice as publisher. The ACSS has been closely associated with the Rockefeller Foundation since its inception and is grateful for the provision of funds to develop and publish the Green Book.

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