Forgotten Benefactor of Humanity (1997)

Norman Borlaug is truly a forgotten hero. As a kid growing up in India, the story about the Green Revolution went somewhat like this: "In the early 60's, India realised that we would face massive food shortages. So, a program of research was initiated and scientists came up with better quality crops. The man most responsible for this was Mr.M.S. Swaminathan (<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M._S._Swaminathan)" rel="nofollow">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M._S._Swaminathan)</a><p>Its true that Mr.Swaminathan was instrumental in leading the effort that adapted the foreign crops to Indian tastes (yes, the rice/wheat apparently tasted/looked unappealing). But the most significant breakthrough was by Mr.Borlaug, who I heard about only after reading this excellent article as an adult: <a href="http://www.thelibertypapers.org/2009/09/13/norman-borlaug-the-man-who-saved-a-billion-people/" rel="nofollow">http://www.thelibertypapers.org/2009/09/13/norman-borlaug-th...</a><p>Without Mr.Borlaug's initiative, progress in India would not have been possible. He has my sincerest gratitude for his work.

He is well known and deservedly celebrated among groups where few people suffer from the naturalist fallacy, such as libertarians and futurists

Henry A Wallace did for America what Norman Borlaug did for the world; he's a lot more familiar, and his story is as tremendous.<p>Not very exciting but a summary: <a href="http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=w000077" rel="nofollow">http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=w00...</a><p>As a child he walked the countryside around Iowa State University with Emeritus Professor George Washington Carver, learning to love biology.<p>As a scientist he determined canny American farmers wouldn't accept a handout, but would buy better seed stock, so formed Pioneer Hybrid seed company (in his back yard) and marketed better seed as a new American ideal.<p>As VP and Secty of Ag, he formed the US Agriculture Extension program to promote agriculture education across American and around the world via Research Stations.<p>For better or for worse, he's personally responsible for the use of corn as the standard crop. He changed the direction of the world, and can be credited with feeding billions.

That article is more than a decade old! Much water has flown under the bridge since then. Fast forward to 2012, the "developed world" itself is conceding there are also many problems with this "green revolution" approach, that it is no longer appropriate to continue with this monocultural, faddish fixation of "technological, scientific solution always saves the world". For e.g:<p><a href="http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=102944731" rel="nofollow">http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1029447...</a><p>/rant<p>Meanwhile all aspects of food and water, both of which are a fundamental human need, has been heavily commoditised and abstracted out of our view all the way to <i>reductio ad absurdum</i> levels in modern discourse. It is going to take several unmitigated disasters before nuanced views around this topic will even gain traction.<p>/rant

Forgotten by whom?