revolution

Green to Regenerative Agriculture (click to see what this term means) (Links to an external site.)

Imagine you are a US farmer and produce food or fiber for the US and/or world markets.

You are part of a generation of farmers and your parents and grandparents farmed the land you now farm.  

Your grandparents and parents benefitted from the green revolution and productivity per acre increased - however you are now facing increasing pressure to participate in a new revolution that addresses the problems (highlighted below) stemming from the green revolution.

Discuss some ecosystem services that will stem from changing practices on your farm.

The Green Revolution & Dr Norman Borlaug: Towards the "Evergreen Revolution"

The Norman Borlaug Institute For Plant Science Research

The term "Green Revolution" was coined by William Gaud whilst Director of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). He was describing the spectacular increases in cereal crop yields that were achieved in developing countries during the 1960s. The key to this revolution were new plant varieties which fully utilised improved fertilisers and other new agrochemicals that had become available during this period. When planted using improved irrigation and crop management techniques, these new varieties gave dramatic increases in yield.

In spite of these remarkable advances, the continuing increase of the world's population has brought two further crop production problems into focus. In the developed countries crops are cultured so successfully as to yield "food mountains" but at the expense of very high inputs and with the consequence of very high environmental impacts. In contrast, in many developing countries insufficient funds are available to provide the fertilisers, pesticides and fuel necessary to realise the full potential of the best cultivars, and starvation is rife. 

http://www.agbioworld.org/biotech-info/topics/borlaug/green-revolution.html