The Green Revolution: A Global Story

The Green Revolution was a wave of agricultural change, beginning in the 1940s and accelerating in the 1960s and 1970s, in which new high-yielding varieties of wheat and rice, combined with fertilizer, irrigation and pesticides, sharply increased harvests across much of the developing world. It is often cited as one of the most important development successes of the twentieth century. This lesson looks at the global picture and at why agriculture matters so much for development.

From Mexico to Asia

The story begins in Mexico, where American plant scientist Norman Borlaug, working with the Mexican government and the Rockefeller Foundation, bred semi-dwarf wheat varieties. Their short, sturdy stalks could carry heavy heads of grain without falling over when fertilized, and they resisted common diseases. Mexico went from importing much of its wheat to becoming self-sufficient.

In the mid-1960s, these wheat varieties were introduced in India and Pakistan during a period of severe food shortages. At about the same time, the International Rice Research Institute in the Philippines released a high-yielding rice variety known as IR8, sometimes nicknamed “miracle rice.” Harvests in parts of South and Southeast Asia rose dramatically. Borlaug was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1970 for his contribution to feeding the world.

Why higher farm productivity matters

In poor countries, most people work in farming. When agricultural productivity, the amount produced per worker or per hectare, rises, several good things can follow. Food becomes cheaper, which helps the poor, who spend a large share of their income on food. Farmers earn more and spend it on local goods and services. And fewer workers are needed to feed the population, freeing people to move into manufacturing and services. Economists call this shift from farming toward industry and services structural transformation, and a productive farm sector often helps start it.

Africa’s different path

Sub-Saharan Africa largely missed the first Green Revolution. The new varieties were bred mainly for wheat and irrigated rice, while many African farmers grow crops such as maize, sorghum, millet, cassava and yams, often on rain-fed land with varied soils. Poor roads made fertilizer expensive to deliver and crops expensive to sell, and irrigation remained limited. Cereal yields in much of the region stayed far below Asian levels for decades. More recent efforts have focused on improved maize and other crops suited to African conditions, with some success, but closing the gap remains a major development priority.

The costs and lessons

The Green Revolution had real downsides. Heavy use of fertilizer, pesticides and groundwater damaged soils and lowered water tables in some areas. Planting a small number of varieties reduced crop diversity. Early benefits sometimes went mainly to larger farmers who could afford the full package of seeds, fertilizer and water, although later studies found that smaller farmers and landless laborers also gained over time.

The broader lesson is that technology alone was not enough. Success depended on public research, extension workers who taught farmers new methods, credit, irrigation, roads and government price support.