In The
Globalization of Wheat, Marci R. Baranski explores Norman
Borlaug’s complicated legacy as godfather of the Green Revolution.
Winner of the Nobel Peace Prize in 1970 for his role in fighting
global hunger, Borlaug, an American agricultural scientist and plant
breeder who worked for the Rockefeller Foundation, left a legacy that
divides opinions even today. His high-yielding dwarf wheat varieties,
known as miracle seeds, effectively doubled and tripled crop yields
across the globe, from Kenya to India and Argentina to Mexico due to
their wide adaptation. But these modern seeds also required expensive
chemical fertilizers and irrigation, both of which were only
available to wealthier farmers. Baranski argues that Borlaug’s new
technologies ultimately privileged wealthier farmers, despite
assurances to politicians that these new crops would thrive in
diverse geographies and benefit all farmers. As large-scale
monocultures replaced traditional farming practices, these changes
were codified into the Indian wheat research system, thus limiting
attention to traditional practices and marginal environments. In the
shadow of this legacy, and in the face of accelerating climate
change, Baranski brings new light to Borlaug’s role in a
controversial concept in agricultural science.
