Norman Borlaug

1. Norman Borlaug, father of the "Green Revolution," died this past weekend, spurring quite a bit of discussion about the pros and cons of his life's work, which helped to dramatically increase agricultural productivity, especially in developing nations.

Critics of his work contend that the crop varieties and agricultural techniques that he helped to develop have ultimately done as much harm as good, leading to an over-reliance on petroleum-based fertilizers and an undo emphasis on feeding the world's burgeoning population rather than controlling it through effective family planning.

To me he seems brilliant, influential, and tragic. He apparently agreed with his critics about the importance of population control, but he also saw the dire necessity of feeding the hungry, and he had the knowledge and creativity to do so. Perhaps it was inevitable that the extraordinarily productive seed stocks he developed for humanitarian purposes would eventually be overused by profit-driven multinational companies with no concern for the well-being of indigenous peoples, but his goal was to avert famine, and he was extraordinarily successful in that endeavor.