Warmup

The Green Revolution included which of the following?A. Irrigation projectsB. Increased use of biocidesC. The development of “miracle seeds”D. Hybridization of methodsE. All of the above

Update

• Turning in work = good!

• Not turning in work = less good!

• Less good often = bad!

Movie this week

• Cinderella Man• Thursday

Fully define the Green Revolution

• The invention and rapid diffusion of more productive agricultural techniques during the 1970s and 1980s.

• These techniques involved higher-yield (high production) seeds and chemical fertilizers.

Explain increases in rice production

• In many regions in Asia, from 1970-1995, rice production doubled.

• GR seeds went from 0% of planted rice in the 1960s to over 80% of planted rice today in many parts of Asia.

Sources: http://countrystudies.us/philippines/62.htmhttp://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-16514368.html

Negative Effects of the GR

• Decreased crop variations.• Requires heavy machinery, therefore

excluding many poor farmers.• Many new crops are resistant to traditional

pesticides.• LDC farmers enter a cycle of dependence on

multinational corporations like Monsanto.• Does not address economic inequality.

Positive Effects of the GR

• More food = more people who can be fed.• New crops are more responsive to irrigation

and to petrochemical fertilizers.• Postpones the predictions of Thomas Malthus.• Reduction in poverty in many regions,

particularly Asia.

Gender Effects of the GR

• Women's wage-earning opportunities have decreased because of mechanization.

Source: http://www.fao.org/FOCUS/E/Women/green-e.htm

Food Security

• Access to and availability of food, • Resource distribution to produce food• Purchasing power to buy food where it is not

produced.

Source: http://www.fao.org/FOCUS/E/Women/Sustin-e.htm

Sustainable Agriculture

• Agricultural practices that preserve and enhance environmental quality.

• GR is not focused on sustainability.• Intensive GR farming could lead to soil

exhaustion.• Fertilizers in the GR may hurt local

ecosystems.

Food Distribution: Two Arguments

• 1 – The GR increased crop yields across the world, driving up the supply of food and driving down to costs. As a result, the poor had food and more job opportunities in agriculture.

Food Distribution: Two Arguments

• 2- The GR drove many poor farmers out of business because they could not afford GR seeds. Additionally, LDCs are still poor, and it does not matter how much food is produced if the poor cannot afford it.