Can there be a green revolution in Sub-Saharan Africa without large expansion of irrigated crop production?

Although large expansion of irrigated agriculture was a pivotal component of past green revolutions, it is not given much attention for Sub-Saharan Africa. At issue is whether this lack of attention is an oversight. Analysis of irrigated agriculture's role in past green revolutions provides insight to address this question. We conclude that expansion of irrigated rice area will likely be an essential component of achieving self-sufficiency in rice production by 2050. For maize it is much less certain and depends on whether the climate and soils in major Sub-Saharan Africa maize-growing regions are more similar to the harsher conditions in the U.S. Western Corn Belt or to the higher-yielding more reliable Eastern Corn Belt.