The Green Revolution

AP Human Geography
2016
What was the Green Revolution?
Termed coined by U.S. Agency for International
Development director William Gaud (March
1968)
Movement to increase yields by using:
Hybrid seeds
Irrigation
Fertilizers
Pesticides
mechanization
What was the Green Revolution?
A planned international effort funded by:
Rockefeller Foundation
Ford Foundation
Many developing country governments
• An attempt by agricultural scientists to eliminate
hunger by improving crop performance
When did it begin?
Began in 1943 with funding from the Rockefeller
Foundation to support a group of U.S. agricultural
scientists
Who invented the Green
Revolution?
Norman Borlaug considered
father of the Green
Revolution
U.S. plant
pathologist/breeder
Joined Rockefeller
Foundation in 1944
Assigned to the
international maize and
wheat improvement center
(CIMMYT) in Mexico
Won the Nobel in 1970
Impact of the Green Revolution
Praise Criticisms

• Agric. Production now

• Poor countries cannot
always afford the
outpaces pop growth machinery, seeds, and
fertilizers
• Use of fertilizers has
increased food • Farmers in poor countries
cannot afford fertilizers
productivity in many leading to inequalities
countries b/ween rich and poor;
fertilizers lead to ground
water pollution
Impact of the Green Revolution
Praise Criticisms
• New irrigation processes • Irrigation has led to
have greatly increased serious ground water
crop yields depletion, negatively
• Higher productivity is impacting water supplies
primarily responsible for for urban population
reducing dependency on • Green Revolution
imports in Asia, including technology has not made
China and India significant impact in Sub-
Saharan Africa
Impact of the Green Revolution
Praise Criticisms

• Use of machinery to
• Has decreased the need
for human labor, resulting
increase productivity in unemployment in some
places
• Green revolution
technology and • Tended to exclude women
who play important role in
training have focused food production
on men • Green rev seeds may
produce crops that are less
nutritious
Impact of the Green Revolution
Decreased the production of biomass fuels-
wood, crop residues, and dung
Emphasis on monocultures has made agric
more vulnerable to disease and pests