THE GREEN REVOLUTION

(The Third Agricultural Revolution)

And Biotechnology
 Objective Out come
To gain knowledge and To analyze the advantages
understanding of green and disadvantages of green
revolution revolution
To research on role of green
revolution in eradication of
hunger from the poor
countries.
THOMAS MALTHUS
19th century economist

Believed that because population grows geometrically

and food production arithmetically famine was inevitable.

Slowing the growth of population was the only possibility

to prevent starvation

History (so far) has proven Malthus wrong . . .

INCREASE IN AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTION PER CAPITA
There are two important terms to bear
in mind here:
Food entitlement deficit (FED) suggests
that food shortages were caused by a lack of
wages/income (rising costs of food relative to
average incomes)

Food availability deficit (FAD) suggests that

food shortages were caused by local
difficulties in supply, perhaps the result of
drought or floods
What is the Green Revolution?

The term Green Revolution refers to the renovation

of agricultural practices beginning in Mexico in the
1940s. Because of its success in producing more
agricultural products there, Green Revolution
technologies spread worldwide in the 1950s and
1960s, significantly increasing the amount of
calories produced per acre of agriculture.
 The crops developed during the Green Revolution were
high yield varieties - meaning they were domesticated
plants bred specifically to respond to fertilizers and
produce an increased amount of grain per acre
planted.
GREEN REVOLUTION
A complex of improvements which greatly
increased agricultural production

Since 1950s Adoption of new,

Agricultural output improved varieties of
outpaced population grains
growth even without Application of better
adding additional agricultural techniques
cropland Irrigation
Mechanization
Use of fertilizer
Use of pesticides
Principal Beneficiaries of the Green Revolution

WHEAT RICE BOTH

Mexico Thailand India
Egypt Vietnam
China
Turkey Korea
Pakistan
Indonesia
Golden Rice
THE GREAT YELLOW HOPE

In 1982, the Rockefeller

Foundation funded research
into rice varieties to promote
global health
Nutritionally enhanced rice
Used a daffodil gene
Rice now produces beta-carotene
The body converts beta-carotene
to vitamin A
Blindness in LDCs is caused by
vitamin A deficiencies
Time Magazine declares: This
rice could save a million kids a
year.
Greenpeace acknowledged:
Golden rice is a moral
challenge to our position.
Golden Rice
THE GREAT YELLOW HYPE

An 11 year-old child would need to

eat 15 pounds of golden rice a day
to satisfy the minimum daily
requirement of vitamin A
Conversion of beta-carotene to
vitamin A requires fat and protein in
the diet (these are lacking in LDCs)
Asians may not want to eat golden
rice they prefer white rice over the
more nutrient rich brown rice which
has always existed
Education to push golden rice costs
money why not just hand out
vitamin A?
Golden rice cost more than $100
million to develop it is just a PR
stunt for genetically altered foods
Green Revolution benefits

Core exports high-yield miracle seeds

Needed oil-based fertilizers, pesticides

Asian rice crop up 66% in 1965-85

Favored areas with good soil, weather

Green Revolution
Green Revolution
drawbacks
Favored farmers who could afford seeds,
inputs, machines, irrigation

Indebted farmers lost land, moved to cities

New monocrops lacked resistance to

disease/pests

Environmental contamination, erosion

Oriented to export cash crops, not domestic

food
Biotechnology:
Using organisms to
Make or modify products

Improve plants or animals

Develop new microorganisms

Crossing natural divides between species

Not just crossbreeding
Genetic Engineering
Genetically Modified
Organisms (GMO)

Consumer concerns
began in Europe,
now in U.S. too
FRANKENFOODS
 GENETICALLY MODIFIED CROPS - WORLDWIDE

120

100

80
millions of acres

60

40

20

0
1996 1997 1998 1999 2000
GENETICALLY MODIFIED CROPS - 2000

Others, 9%

Argentina, 23%

USA, 68%
Biotechnology
benefits in agriculture

Increase yields

Increase pest resistance

Grow crops in new areas

Biotechnology
drawbacks in agriculture

High costs (available to few)

Monocrops have less tolerance to disease

Possible health effects

Contamination of wild crops (superweeds)

Corporate patents on life forms

Bovine Growth
Hormone (BGH)
Starlink corn
First calf cloned in
Wisconsin, 1997.

Many clones die

of complications.

Ethical and
economic conflicts
A. Irrigation
B. Mechanization
C. Use of animals as helpers in the farm
D. Use of pesticides
A. Irrigation
B. Mechanization
C. Use of animals as helpers in the farm
D. Use of pesticides

Try again
A. Irrigation
B. Mechanization
C. Use of animals as helpers in the farm
D. Use of pesticides

Try again
A. Irrigation
B. Mechanization
C. Use of animals as helpers in the farm
D. Use of pesticides

Next
A. Irrigation
B. Mechanization
C. Use of animals as helpers in the farm
D. Use of pesticides
Try again
A. Syngenta
B. Yara vita
C. IRRI
D. World food authority
A. Syngenta
B. Yara vita
C. IRRI
D. World food authority

Try again
A. Syngenta
B. Yara vita
C. IRRI
D. World food authority

Try again
A. Syngenta
B. Yara vita
C. IRRI
D. World food authority

Next
A. Syngenta
B. Yara vita
C. IRRI
D. World food authority

Try again
A. Double Diamond
B. Golden rice
C. Glutinous rice
D. 218 variey
A. Double Diamond
B. Golden rice
C. Glutinous rice
D. 218 variey

Try again
A. Double Diamond
B. Golden rice
C. Glutinous rice
D. 218 variey

Next
A. Double Diamond
B. Golden rice
C. Glutinous rice
D. 218 variey

Try again
A. Double Diamond
B. Golden rice
C. Glutinous rice
D. 218 variey

Try again
A. Core exports high-yield miracle seeds
B. Needed oil-based fertilizers and pesticides
C. More varieties of seed to choose from
D. Favored areas with good soil and weather
A. Core exports high-yield miracle seeds
B. Needed oil-based fertilizers and pesticides
C. More varieties of seed to choose from
D. Favored areas with good soil and weather

Try again
A. Core exports high-yield miracle seeds
B. Needed oil-based fertilizers and pesticides
C. More varieties of seed to choose from
D. Favored areas with good soil and weather

Try again
A. Core exports high-yield miracle seeds
B. Needed oil-based fertilizers and pesticides
C. More varieties of seed to choose from
D. Favored areas with good soil and weather

END
A. Core exports high-yield miracle seeds
B. Needed oil-based fertilizers and pesticides
C. More varieties of seed to choose from
D. Favored areas with good soil and weather

Try again