How Can Agricultural and Extension Educators Contribute to a Successful New Green Revolution?

摘要

In the middle of the 20th century, many in the world were predicting catastrophic starvation that was halted by the Green Revolution. To address continued population growth and the unsolved problems of the Green Revolution, many hope for a new and different Green Revolution. Supporters of a biotechnology-based revolution claim that it could increase crop quality and solve production problems in marginal lands in a manner that is environmentally benign and also appropriate for low-resource farmers. Critics base their arguments on often-cited secondary consequences of the Green Revolution together with concerns about biotechnology. The purpose of the paper is to present approaches by which agricultural and extension educators can contribute to a successful new Green Revolution. Some of these approaches include analysis of lessons learned in past development programs; working for a 'technology pull' instead of a 'technology push'; researching, educating, and improving extension systems; participatingin public dialogue; aiming for open, mutidirectional, universal, equitable, and all-encompassing development programs; advocating; and adapting to new trends of development cooperation.