An interesting article I found here in the International Herald Tribune. Interesting considering the current global food crisis, especially since India at one point 40 years ago did largely manage to feed itself, thanks to the Green Revolution.
Excerpt: “With the right technology and policies, India could help feed the world. Instead, it can barely feed itself. India’s supply of arable land is second only to that of the United States, its economy is one of the fastest growing in the world, and its industrial innovation is legendary. But when it comes to agriculture, its output lags far behind potential. For some staples, India must turn to already stretched international markets, exacerbating a global food crisis. It was not supposed to be this way.”
But the Green Revolution, despite its name, wasn’t all that “Green” – it demanded special seeds and the intensive use of expensive petrochemical fertilizer. India probably could feed itself, but at a cost. I wonder how much of this is due to economics, and not the technology?
The big problem with indian agriculture: it is based on small farms. This causes inefficiencies, but the Indian government is deathly afraid of any moves to consolidate small farms. they fear the mass migration of millions of ex-farmers, to their already-overcrowded cities.