Tropical Agriculture - Green Revolution

Green Revolution

The "Green Revolution" is the name given to the most successful agricultural improvement program ever undertaken in the tropics. Funded initially by the Rockefeller Foundation, it aimed to improve corn, rice, and other cereal cultivators – breeding plants that would produce more grain for the same amount of effort.

From that point it expanded out to improved basic farming practices, particularly for rice farmers. The growth of crop yields was such that agriculture was able to outstrip population growth — per capita production increased every year following 1950 - with Asia leading the way. One of the more remarkable aspects of the Green Revolution is that the total cost of the program by 1990 was approximately US$100 million, less than what a single Boeing 747 airliner cost in 2005.

It can be concluded that the Green Revolution was a success, with only a minor flaw: although the crops gave more yield, they were more subject to disease since this was not a primary concern of the program.

In order to address this problem together with an approach to more small-scale farming crops, there is today substantial interest in creating a second Green Revolution, based on sustainable agricultural practices and geared towards (small-scale) farmers with limited financial resources.