Who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1970? You may be forgiven for not remembering, given some of the prize's dubious recipients over the years (e.g., Yasser Arafat). Well, then: Who has saved perhaps more lives than anyone else in history? The answer to both questions is, of course, Norman Borlaug.
Who? Norman Borlaug, 92, is the father of the "Green Revolution," the dramatic improvement in agricultural productivity that swept the globe in the 1960s. He is now the subject of an admiring biography by Leon Hesser, a former State Department official who first met Mr. Borlaug 40 years ago in Pakistan, where they worked together to boost that country's grain production. "The Man Who Fed the World" describes, in a workmanlike way, how a poor Iowa farm boy trained in forestry and plant pathology came to be one of humanity's greatest benefactors...
Man Who Fed the World
One of my college research assignments was to study the downsides and failures of "The Green Revolution." For instance, as I remember it, early efforts sometimes put one variety of a single crop from horizon to horizon and sometimes beyond, which led to some pretty spectacular crop failures. Plus, the heavy reliance on chemical fertilizers caused more than a few problems. Having said that, "The Green Revolution" definitely had its merits, among them the development of drought-resistant, disease-resistant, sturdier varieties - or even more nutritious ones. Just the push to develop wheat that didn't "lodge" (get knocked to the ground by wind, etc.) made a huge difference in crop yields. Pro and con, there's no doubt in my mind that Dr. Borlaug and his associates changed the world of agriculture, and also the course of world history.
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