The passing away this week of Norman Borlaug, the father of Green Revolution that ‘created high-yielding wheat varieties to stave off famine,’ is a reminder that his well-intended campaign did not end up as he dreamed it would. Today, there is prevailing hunger in the world in spite of the potential to have so much food. Little did Borlaug imagine that his revolution could not have possibly been more powerful than the machinations of business-savvy individuals and the complacent human nature. Fact remains, though, that Borlaug ‘had saved more lives than any man in history.’

There has been a gaping chasm that divides the realities of hungry people and farmers producing enough for the world’s needs. Indeed, there is enough to feed every person on the planet, but the fact is there are more hungry people in the world today than those who are adequately fed.

The gap lies in the politicization of the entire process of providing food. The world has seen such realities as ‘American farm politics, African corruption to war, poverty, climate change and drought.’ These have caused food shortages on the planet.

David Beckmann, president of the antihunger group Bread for the World, succinctly states the cause as ‘a lack of give a damn,’ saying, “It’s mainly neglect. Political neglect,”

It seems that Borlaug’s Green Revolution that brought about abundance in grain during the last half-century, both in rich and poor countries, ‘led to grain surpluses and low prices, creating a sense of complacency about agriculture and hunger.’

Via The New York Times