Norman Borlaug
In many ways I'm a beneficiary of Norman Borlaug's work. A dedicated scientist whose work was a main ingredient in fighting food shortfall and hunger in India during my childhood. I remember long ration lines for rice and trucks carrying cooked rice across state lines because there was a ban on interstate movement of rice, during periods of food shortfall.
Together with his peer agricultural scientists, India was pulled back from starvation and avoided becoming an example of Malthusian prophecy. Unfortunately, in India the gains he made are not permanent. Social changes, human greed, and ever increasing demands on land for economic development are eroding the gains made. In places like Punjab state of India, preference for male child and subsequent division of family owned agricultral land has reduced farm size below the size required for economic farming. Farmers who made gains thru scientific advances depleted the farm by overuse. Agriculture land is coming under severe pressure to be used for non agriculture purpose to support the India's economic growth
This negative development is not confined to India, it is true for many countries where intensive agriculture is done.
Norman Borlaug passing away comes in the shadow of recent Food and Agricultural Organization report that world has to increase by 70% from today's levels by 2050
With challeneges of climate Change, diversion of food for bio fuels, erosion of good soil and continued explosion of population, it will be a tough task to meet the challenge ahead
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