M.S. Swaminathan on the 'evergreen revolution'
He states that new ICTs primarily inform a farmer about incoming weather conditions and market dynamics, but they can also educate the farmer on effective pest control. “Most of the ecologically sound practices are knowledge intensive, he said. “They are not chemical intensive. They are not capital intensive. But they are knowledge intensive. You need the right information at the right time.”
Professor Swaminathan is founder and Chairman of the M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation and a Member of Rajya Sabha (Upper House), Parliament of India. He has been acclaimed by TIME magazine as one of the 20 most influential Asians of the 20th century—and one of only three from India, the other two being Mahatma Gandhi and Rabindranath Tagore.
Professor Swaminathan highlights the need to make farming an intellectually stimulating and financially rewardable occupation, particularly in the case of India where 70 per cent of the population is under 35.
“Technology without public policy will not help at all”, he says.
The Professor recognizes Sub-saharan Africa and South Asia as having the greatest problems in terms of bringing a balance between human numbers and the human capacity to grow food.
Beyond the achievement of another green revolution in these regions, he sees the need for an ‘evergreen’, or sustainable revolution. “We can increase productivity in perpetuity", he says.
This video was recorded on Thursday 3 June 2010 at The Sofitel Hotel.
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