Wheat In The Third World

Many developing countries have adopted new wheat production techniques to expand food supplies, but opportunities for raising output further and improving farmers' livelihoods remain great. In this book, three internationally recognized experts associated with the International Center for Maize and Wheat Improvement (CIMMYT) address decision makers in developing countries and international agencies, providing essential information about the prospects for increasing wheat productivity. The authors examine the characteristics of the wheat plant as a crop and as a food, explore recent scientific findings related to producing and handling the crop and suggest important areas for future research. They also look at specific wheat production problems and potentials in eight countries and propose means of organizing and operating an effective national wheat program. The book closes with a forecast of the outlook for food, wheat, and population to the end of the century.

Research report, grain, developing countries - trends, projections to 2000, food policy implications, case study, Taiwan, China, Taiwan and Korea R. Bibliography, graphs, statistical tables.

After 20 years, the "green revolution" is generally referred to as a milestone in the international agricultural movement. The introduction of new varieties of wheat and rice, along with fertilizers, pesticides, and mechanized farm equipment has produced a dramatic increase in world food production. This paper assesses the successes of the green revolution in light of its effect upon third world countries. It cautions that the revolutionary gains in agricultural production have not been distributed evenly. This uneven distribution of productivity is discussed in the first chapter, "Productivity Reconsidered." The second chapter, "Beyond the Green Revolution," considers the need for new crop varieties and technologies (including biotechnologies) but argues that tomorrow's innovations must be more consistent with regional agricultural traditions. This approach will help to avoid some of the environmental and social costs associated with the agricultural technologies utilized during the green revolution. The third chapter, "Rediscovering Traditional Agriculture," examines the benefits and limitations of traditional methods of agriculture, indicating that these practices should provide the basis for new practices, rather than be swept aside as archaic. "Toward Appropriate Biotechnology" discusses some of the possible contributions offered by biotechnology as tools for more efficient and sustainable agriculture. The document concludes with a call for additional research in sustainable agriculture productivity. (TW)