The logic of the Green Revolution—spurred by the introduction of modern high-yielding crops in the 19603—was that food security was the most important factor in social development. That logic paid off with food supplies that have outpaced the dramatic population growth and urbanization across Asia for the last 30 years. The fertile lowlands of Java are hardly new to intensive agriculture and the Green Revolution in East Java didn't change the landscape as radically as in other places. The rich volcanic soils and large floodplains of Java have lent themselves to intensive agriculture since at least the 14th century, when the two-century reign of the Hindu Majapahit Empire began. At its peak, this empire controlled an area larger than present day Indonesia, with its success largely attributed to irrigated agriculture in East Java's lowlands.
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