The Green Revolution was a period in which new agricultural methods and crop varieties sharply raised food production in many developing countries. It began with work in Mexico, where Norman Borlaug and colleagues bred high-yielding, disease-resistant semi-dwarf wheat. The approach spread to South Asia in the 1960s, helped by new rice varieties developed at the International Rice Research Institute in the Philippines, and combined improved seeds with irrigation, fertilizers and pesticides. It is credited with helping countries such as India and Pakistan avoid widespread famine, and Borlaug received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1970. Critics point to its heavy use of water and chemicals, loss of crop diversity and uneven benefits among farmers.
Before and after
- 1940Discovery of neptunium
- 1940Establishment of Serengeti National Park
- 1940Katyn massacre
- c. 1940sRise of abstract expressionism
- from c. 1940s to 1960sGreen Revolution
- c. 1940sNuclear warfare
- from 1 January 1940 to 7 January 1940Battle of Raate Road
- 1940Construction of Brussels Airport
- from 1940 to 1948Rise of Lehi
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This moment belongs to the Modern era (1914 CE to 1945 CE), world wars and a changing world. You can also browse everything in the 20th century.