Norman Borlaug won the 1970 Nobel Peace Prize for his role as the 'father of the Green Revolution', but his 30th anniversary speech focussed on the shortcomings of rapid agricultural expansion and future implications. I want to highlight two interesting points he raised:
(1) A need to depart from treating water as a "free good" and "God-given right" - instead pricing it in relation to the cost of delivery, to incentivise efficient use. This both echoes and contradicts Richard Taylor's point in lecture 2 about the differences in how humans treat water compared to oil or coal. Water access has multiple social and environmental barriers, compared to, say, solar energy; in this sense, one could argue it is not truly a renewable resource. Much like the 'contraction and convergence' argument in relation to carbon emissions, should Africa be told to use water sustainably after the West (and others) have used it freely and unlimitedly to develop?
(2) He calls for a 21st century 'Blue Revolution' to complement agricultural expansion, saying that water use should be "wedded" to land use. Instead of prioritising fertiliser and seeds, with an 'add water and stir' mentality, water use should be productive and sustainable; he calls for a focus on smaller scale, water-saving technologies, such as drip irrigation.
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ReplyDeleteI'd just like to comment on the fact that water hasn't always been 'used' freely in the West either. Although there has been many development for the utilization of water resources in the UK, notably the construction of reservoirs from 1840s, larger dams from 1890s and multipurpose river regulation from the 1960s, there are definitely conflicts with regards to its usage. However I would agree that the developed countries have had much more time for its water usage, distribution and efficiency to mature, unlike the rapid pressure on water brought about by the population growth as well as the increasing dominance of cash crop in the sub-Saharan region.
Good point. I suppose I should have inserted 'relatively' to clarify. What I meant to convey was that water was developed, and incorporated into industries of developed countries, without the overhanging barrier of sustainability and global warming. This agrees with your point of that these countries have had more time to develop. Also I think it's important to note that it's difficult to separate the often damaging relationship between developed countries and Africa, as the cash crops they are producing are largely sold cheap in richer countries.
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