Green Revolution

The mid-20th-century spread of high-yield crop varieties, synthetic fertilizers, irrigation, and related technologies that greatly increased agricultural production, especially in Asia and Latin America.

Norman Borlaug: An American agronomist whose wheat-breeding work helped raise crop yields in Mexico and South Asia. His wheat varieties and international research programs became emblematic of the movement.
Rockefeller Foundation: A philanthropic organization that funded agricultural research and development programs in several countries. Its Mexican agricultural program helped establish the research model behind later initiatives.
Punjab: A region spanning northern India and eastern Pakistan, known for intensive agriculture and extensive irrigation. Its fertile plains and infrastructure made it a leading site of high-yield wheat adoption in India.
Nitrogen cycle: The movement and transformation of nitrogen among the atmosphere, soil, water, and living organisms. Heavy synthetic nitrogen use altered nutrient flows and contributed to pollution.
Semi-dwarf wheat: Wheat varieties with shorter, sturdier stems that resist lodging under heavy grain heads and fertilizer use. Short stems let plants convert added nutrients into grain without falling over.
International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center: An international agricultural research center based in Mexico that develops improved maize and wheat varieties. Its wheat-breeding work produced varieties central to the early Green Revolution.
Food security: The condition in which people have reliable access to sufficient, safe, and nutritious food. Higher crop output helped countries reduce dependence on food imports and address shortages.
Eutrophication: Excess nutrients in water that stimulate algal growth and can deplete dissolved oxygen. Fertilizer runoff from intensified farming can trigger harmful nutrient enrichment.
IR8: A high-yielding semi-dwarf rice variety released by the International Rice Research Institute in 1966. Its dramatic yields helped make improved rice a signature of the Green Revolution.
International Rice Research Institute: An international research organization founded in the Philippines to improve rice production and livelihoods. Its breeding program developed IR8 and other varieties that spread across rice-growing regions.

Linked from 64 pages