CONTENTS
- The Earth and Its People
- Pollution and Health Risks
- Feeding a Future World
- Freshwater: Lifeblood of the Planet
- Oceans in Decline
- Forests: The Earth's Lungs
- Endangered Biodiversity
- Toward a Livable Future
- Improving Energy Efficiency
- Planning Cities Better
- Ending Environmentally Destructive Subsidies
- Adopting Water Resources Management
- Saving Forests
- Accomplishing a Second Green Revolution
- Managing Coastal Zones and Ocean Fisheries
- Curbing Pollution, Improving Health
- Safeguarding Biodiversity
- Stabilizing World Population
HIGHLIGHTS
- Can development be sustained?
- Scientists point to environmental distress syndrome
- Cities grow ever larger
- Global temperatures rising
- Are we setting the stage for our own extinction?
- World population must stabilize
Population Reports is published by the Population Information Program, Center for Communication Programs, The Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, 111 Market Place, Suite 310, Baltimore, Maryland 21202-4012, USA
Fall 2000
Series M, Number 15
Special Topics
Accomplishing a Second Green Revolution
The first Green Revolution in agriculture of the 1960s helped food production keep pace with population growth. Because population growth continued, the Green Revolution was only a “temporary success,” said Norman Borlaug upon receiving the 1970 Nobel Peace Prize as one of its architects. Today, as population moves toward 8 billion in 2025, a second Green Revolution should focus on the food crops grown by the 2 billion people who lack food security (see Chapter 3). It should concentrate not only on improving the yields of the big three staples—rice, corn, and wheat—but also on such crops as sorghum, millet, and cassava (73, 75).
 D. Hinrichsen |
| Cassava plants in Northeast Thailand. A second Green Revolution in agriculture should focus on crops grown by the world's poor. |
The World Food Summit, held in Rome in 1996, also recommended the following actions to improve agriculture:
Improving yields on marginal land. Despite poor quality soil and insufficient water, many marginal lands can be farmed successfully. For instance, the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture has pioneered “alley farming” as a sustainable substitute for slash-and-burn cultivation. If crops are used in the right combination, alley farming can greatly increase yields on poor soils in hilly regions and thus reduce the need to clear forests for farmland (114). The concept is simple: leguminous crops, such as mucuna, are planted between rows of food crops, such as peas and beans. The legumes help hold the soil in place and improve nutrient content while preventing weeds from taking root.
Expanding aquaculture. Where fish farming for local or regional consumption has been tried, the results have been impressive. Unless fish farms are well managed, however, they can contribute to coastal pollution, through improper disposal of wastes and over-stocking (77, 99).
Rediscovering forgotten foods. Another way to help achieve food security is to cultivate traditional food plants that modern agriculture has neglected. Amaranth and quinoa, two grains grown by the ancient Aztecs of Mexico and Incas of Peru, are examples. Both grains are versatile and nutritious, containing more high-quality protein than most other commercial grains, including corn and rice. Moreover, both grow well under difficult conditions. Amaranth thrives in hot climates, while the quinoa plant is frost-resistant and can be grown at high elevations (257).
Increasing yields. Some countries are improving crop yields with new approaches that use low-level inputs. Examples include fertilizing with animal wastes instead of chemicals, recycling nutrients, conserving water, and selecting a variety of crops better suited to soil conditions and climate (73, 75).
Another technique is Integrated Pest Management (IPM). IPM uses several related strategies: preserving natural pest predators, using pest-resistant seed varieties, and drastically cutting amounts of pesticides. This approach has increased yields while reducing use of pesticides and fertilizers (73).
Empowering women farmers. Women grow 80% to 90% of all food consumed locally in many developing countries. Women farmers need better access to credit, agricultural extension services, and training (72, 188, 219, 241).
Managing Coastal Zones and Ocean Fisheries
Better coastal management can help protect such ecosystems as mangrove forests, seagrass beds, and coral reefs; can protect coastlines from over-development; and can preserve fisheries and marine biodiversity. The following initiatives are promising:
- UNEP's Regional Seas Program needs international and regional support. It is one of the few working mechanisms in place that enables coastal states sharing the same body of water to work together on management issues.
- The International Coral Reef Initiative, launched in 1995 by eight countries, deserves high priority from NGOs, funding agencies, and the UN system. This initiative is one of the best examples of international and intergovernmental cooperation to address the decline of the world's coral resources.
- The Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries, which FAO launched in 1995, needs the endorsement of fishing nations and national laws to give it force. The code addresses fisheries management and operations, aquaculture and mariculture development, and integration of fisheries management into coastal area management programs, among other areas. More than 60 fishing nations have agreed to this voluntary code, but it needs legal foundation in each country (149).
- The UN Agreement on Straddling Fish Stocks and Highly Migratory Fish Stocks, which FAO put forth in 1995, prescribes a cautionary approach to fishery management, both inside and outside Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZs). As of 1999, however, only 4 of the top 20 fishing nations had ratified it. It requires 30 signatures before taking effect (149).
- The Law of the Sea Convention, which came into force in November 1994, could become a more effective mechanism for regulating coastal and near-shore activities. It permits all coastal states to manage their 200 mile EEZs. Littoral states must enact and enforce fisheries restrictions, safeguard biologically diverse areas, protect more marine areas, and enact and enforce legislation that protects coastal waters from land-based pollution (102).
