Participation in agricultural production, it has been repeatedly demonstrated, is the only clear guarantee of participation in food consumption.
The author's central theme is that it is possible to raise yields three-fold on most smallholder farms worldwide by practicing sustainable agriculture. As an architect of the original Green Revolution he can acknowledge its failings (and its successes) better than most. The book's title refers to a need to move beyond the original Green Revolution to a new and more environmentally friendly agenda.
The basic goals outlined in the book are:
-Increase crop yields of small-scale farmers threefold per farm.
-Do so at very low cost by making maximum use of indigenous resources: physical, biological, and human -thereby allowing even the very poor to benefit from improved methods.
-Improve the health of families living on small farms by raising nutrition levels.
-Expand access to food, energy, and water.
-Expand access to economic resources.
Disregard the neo-communist rhetoric of the first reviewer and buy this book - easily earns 8 stars on a scale of 1 to 5.