The demographic and environmental consequences of the green revolution.

The role of agriculture as a solution to the population and environmental problem is considered directing attention to world population growth population growth and food the change in agriculture and population growth and the green revolution and the environment. The world population at present exceeds 5 billion. More alarming than the numbers themselves is the status of the annual population growth rate. In 1988 the growth rate stood at about 1.7% or about 1700 times greater than it was during the 1st million years of human existence. A large proportion of the world population now is within childbearing age and in the longterm this young age-structure will sustain the rapid population growth rate. Economic growth including the Green Revolution and prosperity cannot be relied on to control population growth. An urgent need exists for all societies to consider ways to slow the growth of their populations. The human food supply must be adequate in the quality of its nutrient content as well as in content. The available data strongly suggest that children are an advantage in farming. This advantage exists whether the agriculture is hand-powered draft animal-powered or tractor-powered mechanized farming. In general agricultural development contributes to rapid population growth because farmers recognize that large families provide cheap labor. Thus agricultural development alone does not appear to have provided a solution to the population growth problem. By most standards everyone considers the Green Revolution a resounding success but it has been unsuccessful in terms of its impact on the environment. Some of the Green Revolution crops that were developed were susceptible to insect pests and required increased pesticide use. Many insecticides used are known to be toxic to humans and also killers of beneficial natural enemies of pests in the treated crops and adjoining crops. In addition to heavy reliance on pesticides fertilizer requirements of Green Revolution crops increased in some cases 20-30 fold. Other problems with the Green Revolution include the alarming soil erosion and water run-off problems. Poorer farmers find they cannot afford the needed fertilizers and pesticides for the Green Revolution. It seems unlikely that agricultural development will reduce family size substantially or slow population growth in developing countries. If individuals and nations fail to find ways to limit their numbers to the carrying capacity of the earth nature will do so as it has done in the past.