Few people dispute the transformational impact of the “green revolution” in agriculture that eradicated famine in countries from Mexico to India just over 50 years ago. But as gains in agricultural production have again begun to slow, there are calls for a second green revolution to meet the growing food security needs of the planet.

Proponents argue for the need to increase yields for the world’s 500 million smallholder farmers, who produce 80 percent of the world’s food. These farmers were largely left behind during the green revolution due to the high costs of equipment, inputs, and irrigation systems — and the inequitable distribution of land and secure property rights.

This rest of this blog can be found on the Devex website, where it was originally posted.