Father of the Green Revolution kicks the bucket

“If the world population continues to increase at the same rate, we will destroy the species.”

Norman Borlaug won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1970. In the 1950's, he crossed varieties of wheat including those resistant to the rust fungus and higher-yielding semidwarf strains multiplying wheat output sixfold in Mexico. Similar ideas were applied to rice with similar results, together averting a Malthusian disaster.

Critics say the green revolution displaced smaller farmers, encouraged overreliance on chemicals and paved the way for greater corporate control of agriculture, [calling it ecologically destructive and unsustainable.] Dr. Borlaug declared that such arguments often came from “elitists” who were rich enough not to worry about where their next meal was coming from. But over time, he acknowledged the validity of some environmental concerns, and embraced more judicious use of fertilizers and pesticides. He was frustrated throughout his life that governments did not do more to tackle what he called “the population monster” by lowering birth rates.

[from the NYTimes article] What a giant badass.