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The Green Revolution. Group 1. What is the Green Revolution?. The transformation of agriculture that began in 1944, with the mission of greatly increasing food yields through technology and selective breeding.
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The Green Revolution Group 1
What is the Green Revolution? • The transformation of agriculture that began in 1944, with the mission of greatly increasing food yields through technology and selective breeding. • Was seen as a sustainable method for agriculture to keep up with rapid population growth. • The actual term “Green Revolution” wasn’t coined until 1968 by USAID Director William Gaud. • Seen as a vehicle to eliminate world hunger.
Methods to achieve goals • Introduction of pesticides and fertilizers to the developing world to increase food yields. • The selection of higher-yielding strains of staple foods such as wheat, rice, and maize. • Genetically altering foods to make them more disease resistance, produce more, and utilize less space.
Norman Borlaug: (March 25, 1914- September 12, 2009) • Born in Iowa in the midst of the Great Depression. • Completed his PhD in Plant Pathology from the University of Minnesota in 1942. • Dedicated his life’s work to creating sustainable methods in agriculture to eliminate hunger. • First major project was the Cooperative Wheat Research and Production Program in Mexico.
Norman Borlaug cont… • Within 20 years, Mexico went from importing over 50% of its wheat to becoming a net exporter. • Referred success in Mexico as "a temporary success in man's war against hunger and deprivation." • India is considered to be Borlaug’s crowning achievement: A nation on the brink of mass famine to later becoming a major exporter of rice and able to feed itself. • Borlaug also led projects with the assistance of the Rockefeller and Ford Foundations' in the Philippines and Pakistan that were considered largely successful.
Norman Borlaug cont… • Recipient of the 1970 Nobel Peace Prize for his achievements and continued efforts to feed the world’s hungry. • Championed the developments of agricultural science and “progress” until his death last year. • Repeatedly stated before death that without some semblance of population control, science and agricultural production are on the end of a losing battle.
General Praise • Global food production reaching the point of being able to meet the needs of the population. • Mexico, India, and the Philippines going from food shortages to becoming net exporters. • Increased yields has kept food prices at affordable levels for the majority of the world. • Scientific fields such as molecular genetics, plant pathology, and soil science have continued to undergo major developments and advancements. • Proponents state that over a 1 billion lives have been saved due to the Green Revolution.
Criticism • Despite increases in food production, large quantities of the population still go hungry. • The Green Revolution gave the upper-hand to big business and squeezed out local farmers. • Despite food prices staying relatively cheap, production costs such as fertilizer and pesticides have continued to go up. • Projects on the African continent have been a complete failure and widespread famine remains.
Criticism cont… • Lack of nutrients in the strains of staple crops being mass-produced. • Environmental damage caused Green Revolution such as nitrogen runoff of fertilizers in the water supply and toxins found in pesticides. • Excess groundwater use and soil erosion caused by increased agriculture. • Health problems that arise from polluted water supplies, pesticides, and nitrogen runoff.
Guatemala and the Green Revolution • Implemented by the military regime in the 1970s as a means to commercialize agriculture. • Agriculture market was foreign-driven, with crops such as soy be promoted by the government. • Govt. supported the importation of foreign pesticides, fertilizers, and technology as a means of “progress”. • Production yields greatly increased but the majority of the produce was exported. • The increase in production of non-traditional exports such as soy created shortages of staple foods.
Guatemala and the Green Revolution cont… • In addition to government organizations such as BANDESA (Agricultural Development Bank), USAID and other multinationals greatly influenced commerce. • US sponsored Alliance for Progress funded development projects throughout the country, but also sponsored counter-insurgency programs for the military. • Presidents Johnson and Kennedy saw investments as a means to prevent the spread of communism. • This focus on diversification and a export driven economy adversely affected the poor and indigenous population.
