objects/agriculture-green-revolution.html

The Green Revolution

Brought together three areas of science:

• plant genetics
  • higher yield grains and rice
  • less stalk more grain
  • hardier for harvesting
• availability of irrigation
  • higher water demand
• use of petrochemicals
  • fertilizers (N and P)
  • herbicides and pesticides
  • traction

benefits:

• meeting food demand for many developing countries avoiding famines
• food security
• excess food for income

disadvantages:

• moving toward fewer varieties - depleting natural range of crops
• dependence on irrigation, more severe impact when there is a drought
• dependence on energy subsidies

 

indirect effects of these process

• water consumption
• lake eutrophication from runoff - case study