Mexican Canals and Indian Tube Wells in the Making of the Green Revolution

• In Event: Agriculture, Environment, and Development: Imperial and International Contexts Across the Twentieth Century

Abstract

In the 1960s hybrid wheat seeds developed in Mexico’s arid Yaqui Valley made their way to Pakistan and India. These hybrid seeds revolutionized farming and launched what eventually came to be known as the Green Revolution. While the environmental impact of the use of needed fertilizers altered both the terrain and local village relations it was the required irrigation which most impacted the environment. This paper examines how two seemingly disparate locations became pivotal sites for scientific innovation because of their pre-existing use of water. Specifically, the use of canals in Sonora, Mexico and the use of tube wells in Punjab, India allowed for "foreign" scientific knowledge to become practice in the fields. This paper examines why focusing on these two sites and their historical use of water can help us better understand why these two spaces became pivots of scientific innovation in each of their countries.

Author

• Gabriela Soto Laveaga, Harvard University