The Green Revolution In Asia Essays - Rockefeller Foundation

The Green Revolution in Asia World Issues May 27, 1996 Table of Contents Topic Page The Problem ................................................3 The Solution................................................3 Background to The Green Revolution .........................3 Positives of The Green Revolution ..........................3 Problems With The Green Revolution .........................4 The Green Revolution in Asia ...............................5 Rice .......................................................5 Rice Pests and Solutions....................................5 China.......................................................6 Viet Nam Reclamation Projects ..............................8 India.......................................................9 Other Facts ................................................9 Conclusion..................................................10 Map of China................................................11 Map of India ...............................................12 Figure #1: The Rice Plant...................................13 Figure #2: A Field in the Philippines ......................14 Figure #3: Deepwater Rice in Thailand ......................15 Figure P0: Effects of Hoppers ..............................16 Figure P1: Habitat of Brown Hopper .........................17 Figure P2: Wolf Spider......................................18 Figure P3: Black Bug .......................................19 Figure #4: Irrigated Rice Harvesting .......................20 Chart #1: Rice Production...................................21 Chart #2: Fertilizer Use in 1993 ...........................22 Bibliography ...............................................23 The Problem: With the high and rapidly growing population of Asia, many people go hungry. How can the world support these people?; and, how can these people feed themselves? What cost will this have on the environment? What is being done to help these people. The Solution: The Green Revolution is a solution that has been at work since the 1960's. It has been developing new and better ways at producing food. Background to the Green Revolution: The Green Revolution Started in the 1960's by the government of the United States. The Green Revolution was started to make wheat more adaptable to different environments. The grain was genetically engineered to grow with a shorter stock (to stop damage from wind) and the ability to grow faster so colder climates could be sure that the crop was fully grown by the cold season. Warmer climates could take advantage of these faster growing varieties by having more than one or two harvests a season. The developing countries produced a lot of waste through their cultivation techniques. They used high amounts of labor that produced waste so the developed world had machinery that they sent to the underdeveloped to stop the waste. The production of new wheat varieties has led to the green revolution spreading to Asia and the production of new rice varieties. Positives of the Green Revolution: Since the Green Revolution has started there have been nearly 5000 new crop strains developed. Seeds for crops such as wheat, rice, corn, and cotton have been upgraded four to six times. Farmers have saw a 50 to 130 percent rise in yield. Wheat production is about 50 times that during the 1950's. The population of the world is rising rapidly and this may be the only way for the earth to feed ourselves. Problems With the Green Revolution: Problems that have occurred are that the people that need the machinery cannot afford to buy clothes let alone pay for huge machines that have to be shipped in from developed countries and the shipping must be paid for. Even if the farmers could afford the machinery, they would have to be taught how to use it properly. Finding fuel, and the money to buy the fuel, in the middle of Africa, for instance, is impossible. The developed world produced the new wheat and rice varieties. To genetically engineer a new strain of food, a company or government must pay scientists (including agronomists, geneticists, biologists, chemists, nuclear scientists, space-flight scientists), fund experiments, laboratory space, and materials (to just name a few). The costs are very high so the developing world would need to pay a fair price for these new varieties. The money that the countries need to pay for the seeds and machinery is borrowed from other countries. This borrowing does not help the developing countries but puts them, in most cases, into a deeper financial crisis. The environment also pays the price for the revolution. The new plant varieties use a lot of minerals from the ground and the soil that they grow in is being abused. The soil loses much of its minerals so a way had to be found to replace them. Fertilizers, natural and chemical, have to be used in high quantities to produce the special varieties. The chemicals seep down into the groundwater and pollute the water to the point that it is no longer potable. Many rivers and lakes such as the Huang He River (refer to map of China) and the Ganges River (refer to map of India) have seen the effects of this problem in the late 1960's when fish and waterfowl began dying unexpectedly. Another problem with the Green Revolution was that the new varieties, or modern cultivars, had started to make the original varieties that farmers had used for hundreds of years disappear. The amount of different types of seeds started to rapidly disappear. The modern cultivars have a major flaw. The flaw

Gift Ideas for Siblings When Youre in College

Gift Ideas for Siblings When Youre in College When you were at home, your brother and/or sister may have driven you up the wall. Or, conversely, you may have been incredibly close with your sibling(s). Either way, finding the perfect gift for a sibling can be a challenge especially when youre operating with a college students budget. So how can you find a gift that shows you care without breaking your bank account? Fortunately, family gifts allow for a little more creativity than, say, gifts for your boss. With a little pre-planning, your sibling gift can be one your brother or sister cherishes for a long time. Something From Your Campus Gift Shop You might see sweatshirts, t-shirts, and running shorts with your school name and logo all day, every day. But your sibling back home doesnt. Consider finding some kind of swag from your campus gift shop that you know your brother or sister will just adore. If nothing else, it gives them a chance to brag about what school you attend when people ask about their clothing! (And if a sweatshirt or t-shirt isnt in your budget, consider something cheaper, like a keychain.) Something Youve Learned About at College that They Might Also Like Are you both chemistry geeks? Grab that new biography of a famous chemist that you think sounds really cool. Do you both love to write poetry? Head to the campus authors section of your campus bookstore to see if any of your professors have published poetry collections recently. (Added bonus: You can ask your professor to autograph your copy!) Invite Them for the Weekend If you miss spending time with your brother or sister, dont wait until you head home to see them; give them the gift of a weekend with you on campus. You can use your meal plan to treat them to breakfast, lunch, and dinner while showing them all the fun and funky parts of your college life. (If youre staying in a residence hall, however, just make sure its okay to have someone who might be under 18 stay with you.) Items that Helped You Prepare for College If your younger brother or sister is planning on heading to college soon, too, consider giving them the things that helped you the most. Were there books that helped you adjust? Websites that helped explain things you were too afraid to ask about? Prep. books that helped you ace things like the SAT? Put together a collection of things you found most valuable as a gift that your younger sibling will undoubtedly find valuable, too. Time Doing Things Together Even if you catch up online and on the phone, it can be hard to be away from a sibling with whom youre emotionally close. Even if neither of you have much money, there are things you can do to spend time together. Consider going for a hike, walk, or run; going holiday shopping for your parents; or even volunteering together. Turn the time into your gift to your sibling by presenting a special invite in an envelope and offering to treat for something fun while youre out, like coffees or Slurpees from your favorite convenience store. Sometimes, its the little things that mean the most! Something that Reminds You Both of Growing Up Together ​A lot of candy shops offer decade-based boxes of candy that bring back the candy you grew up with. Additionally, you can put together a collection of your favorite movies or Saturday morning cartoons that you used to watch together when you were younger. Even a silly toy that you both coveted even one that is considered super old and obsolete now can make a great gift. Think back on the things you both cherished the most as you grew up and see what you can do to recreate something similar for a great present.