GREEN REVOLUTION = LDC

WHAT WAS IT? Period of rapid changes in agricultural practices and technologies resulting in increased productivity. All started with RICE!  Subsistence farming  Commercial farming New strains of crops (HYV) allowed farmers to harvest a higher yield.  Use of selective breeding to create larger ears of corn.

TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANCES Artificial fertilizer Irrigation Insecticides and herbicides Mechanical machinery  Combines, tractors Hybridization  Crossbreeding crops to magnify a trait, such as disease resistance and frost resistance.

EXAMPLES OF WHERE IT WAS SUCCESSFUL Asia  India  Philippines  China  Vietnam Latin America  Mexico Northern Africa The Green Revolution occurred only in LDCs, not in the United States or Europe

 Social  Middle class farmers  Education  Availability of credit, money, banks  Transportation system (infrastructure)  Political  Market economy  Receptive political environment  Political Stability  Cultural  Acceptance of new crops and practices FACTORS NECESSARY TO MAKE IT SUCCESSFUL

Economic Factors  Cost of materials (fertilizer, herbicides, fuel)  Credit unobtainable by certain groups (women, minorities)  Overwhelming debt (to farmers, to governments)  Global economy  Availability of funds (ability to take loans to purchase equipment, seeds, etc.) OBSTACLES LDC’S HAVE TO FACE

Ecological Factors  Decline in soil quality (fertility)  Water pollution  Finite supply of water  Water table  Seasonal droughts  Climate  Erosion  Desertification  Limited amount of arable land  Potential loss of biodiversity  E.g. One crop takes the place of another