The Road to a Green Revolution

The book does not seem to relate to my academic disciple or to an extent to my own life. Stuffed and Starved is packed with too much information and I think the author is trying to tackle too many issue all at once, which makes it an overwhelming read. There are certain sections that I enjoy reading about, because it is something I have encountered or felt, but for the most part I it is just too bias for me. I think I would like this book more if it the ideas were not pushed on you, but allows you to reflect on the issue to formulate your own opinions.

In chapter 6, the Patel describes the Green Revolution, which targets the hunger issue within our global food system, “The Green Revolution was the solution that fit the constraints, offering a package of seeds, fertilizer and spatial organization that would allow the poor to eat, without suffering the rich to be parted from their land” (124). One of the major countries that were mention was India. The United States and India had a long history in agriculture. As India was struggling with their food system, the United States stepped in and helped. This, however, had a negative effect on the farmers, “The imports of cheap wheat put Indian farmers under tremendous strain. They couldn’t compete with the subsides granted in the US to its large producers […]. So Indian farmers read the market signals correctly and didn’t increase their output” (122). With less production of food made available to the consumers, more and more of them turned to the United States for food aid imports.

Although, the Green Revolution provided people with an abundant amount of food, it came with a price. The crops that are now growing at tremendous rates were treated with pesticides to ensure that the crops are healthy. As more technology-modified processes are put into the yield of these crops, the negative the impact becomes, because the consumers will be the ones consuming most of these ‘unhealthy’ foods. Out of the producers, consumers, and technology developers, “It is pesticide companies who will benefit most directly from India’s second Green Revolution, as they benefited from the first” (135). Overall, the point of this revolution is to provide food for these countries, despite of the methods used.

-Stephanie Huynh