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| In the 1960s, many experts were warning that "the population bomb"-rapid global population growth-would soon lead to massive famines, especially in Asia. They predicted that millions would die in these calamities. |
| Instead, a crash program in international agricultural research was launched, headquartered at research centers in Mexico and the Philippines, and eventually including many other centers in developing countries. The researchers, funded by large foundations, developed so-called "high yielding" grain varieties that led to a doubling of food production in such countries as India, where the grains were widely planted. |
| As a result of this major development effort, commonly known as "the Green Revolution," the predicted famines were averted. Since its inception, the Green Revolution has been shrouded in controversy. Hailed by most developing country leaders and richer farmers, who were first to plant the high-yielding grains, the Green Revolution was attacked by critics who argued that the new grains were too expensive for poor farmers, putting many out of business. |
| The critics also pointed out that the new grains required much larger inputs of expensive fertilizers, pesticides and water, resulting in farm worker deaths, water and air pollution and salinization. |
| On balance, the Green Revolution probably saved millions from famine. Today the world actually produces more food per capita than it did when the Green Revolution began, but its negative side effects were real. Moreover, it virtually bypassed Africa, where farm productivity is no higher now than during the Roman Empire. It also was concentrated on very few crops, especially wheat, rice and corn. |
| Widespread planting of the high-yielding seeds of these grains played an important role in decreasing biological diversity in farmers' fields, increasing their susceptibility to pests and diseases. In the worst cases, many ancient "landraces" - genetically-diverse plant varieties cultivated for centuries and adapted to local regions, were lost. |
| Scientists at Green Revolution centers recognize the Revolution's limitations and are now working to correct them, employing conventional breeding and biotechnology to create crop varieties (using a wider range of crops) that require fewer inputs and can be grown under poor soil and drought conditions. They are working to create a "doubly Green Revolution," that is both highly-productive and environmentally sustainable. |
You can see video clips and read related interviews with Walter Falcon, development economist, and Per Pinstrup-Andersen, World Food Prize Laureate, on this Web Site. For a variety of opinions about the Green Revolution, check out these sites:
- ACTIONBIOSCIENCE.ORG
- INTERVIEW WITH NORMAN BORLAUG
The father of the Green Revolution, Norman Borlaug, is interviewed. (November 2002)
www.actionbioscience.org/biotech/borlaug.html
- CONSULTATIVE GROUP ON INTERNATIONAL AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH (CGIAR)
CGIAR is a strategic alliance of countries, international and regional organizations, and private foundations supporting 15 international agricultural Centers. The science that made possible the Green Revolution of the 1960s and 1970s was largely the work of CGIAR Centers and their national agricultural research partners. CYMMIT, a Mexico-based CGIAR Center, is featured in Silent Killer.
www.cgiar.org/
- INTERNATIONAL FOOD POLICY RESEARCH INSTITUTE (IFPRI) - GREEN REVOLUTION, CURSE OR BLESSING?
This article (2002) by Peter B.R. Hazell analyzes the problems of the Green Revolution, its impacts on agricultural production, and the social consequences.
www.ifpri.org/pubs/ib/ib11.pdf
- FAO: WOMEN AND THE GREEN REVOLUTION
This section of FAO's Women and Food Security deals with the impact of the Green Revolution on women.
www.fao.org/FOCUS/E/Women/green-e.htm
- FOOD FIRST-INSTITUTE FOR FOOD
AND DEVELOPMENT POLICY
Lessons from the Green Revolution. Do we need new technology to end hunger? - This article argues that increased food production can-and often does-go hand in hand with greater hunger. (March - April 2000)
www.foodfirst.org/media/opeds/2000/4-greenrev.html
- GREENPEACE - RICE, BIODIVERSITY
AND NUTRIENTS
Critical of the Green Revolution, this article explores its impact on rice production. (March 2005)
www.greenpeace.org/raw/content/international/
press/reports/rice-biodiversity-nutrients.pdf
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