The Green Revolution

Recently in my World Food Problems course, we discussed the Green Revolution. Since I have never heard of the Green Revolution before that class, I figured that some of you might not know about it either. This is what has led me to share this topic with you.

During the late 1950s to mid-1960s a concerted research effort was established to create modern or high-yielding crop varieties, beginning with rice and wheat plants in Asia and Latin America. This research effort later became titled as “The Green Revolution.”

Early modified crop varieties of wheat and rice were quickly adopted in areas with either good irrigation systems or reliable rainfall. However, adoption was much slower in sub-Saharan Africa where irrigation is limited and rainfall is unreliable. Additionally, in these areas crop variety is limited as well, increasing the difficulty for researchers to find suitable genetic alternatives.

In the early days of the Green Revolution only 2 centers were established for modern variety crop research, however currently 16 centers have been established for research purposes. These centers support 8500 scientists/staff and have an annual budget of $350 million.

Researchers, Evenson & Gollin, recently assess the impact of the Green Revolution and how the food market would have differed without this research. Evenson & Gollin report that the late Green Revolution period (1981 to 2000) has the most gains. Yield growth from modern varieties accounted for almost all of the increases in food production in developing countries. Additionally, researchers were able to model outcomes if the Green Revolution did not take place. Without international research in crops…

•      Calorie intake per capita would be 13.3-14.4% lower in the developing world
•       There would be a 6.1-7.9% increase in malnourished children in developing countries
•       Developed countries would have to increase food imports by 27-30%

While criticism exist about the sustainability of intensive cultivation, soil degradation, chemical pollution, aquifer depletion and soil salinity. Evenson & Gollin highlight the fact that developing countries don’t have many alternatives to meet population needs with low environmental impact. Further research needs to be completed on environmentally friendly technologies that developing countries can assess and adopt.

Even though criticism still exits, the Green Revolution lowered food prices worldwide.  During this period of concerted research effort productive increased and prices fell. The Green Revolution exhibits what can be accomplished when the brightest in the world come together to solve a problem. With researchers working together to address diseases and challenges from developing countries, anything can be accomplished.

Reference:

Assessing the Impact of The Green Revolution, 1960 to 2000

Science 2 May 2003: Vol. 300 no. 5620 pp. 758-762