From 'greed' to green revolution

I PREDICT A CENTURY OF HOPE: Towards an era of harmony with nature and freedom from hunger: Prof. M. S. Swaminathan; East- West Books (Madras) Pvt. Ltd., 62-A, Ormes Road, Kilpauk, Chennai-600010.

Rs. 150.

``INDIA HAS the opportunity for demonstrating the pathway to a sustainable and humanistic civilisation, rooted in the principles of ecology, gender and social equity, economics, energy conservation and employment generation. Knowledge is a continuum. We should neither worship nor discard technologies because they are old or new. What is important is to use knowledge and skills in a manner that children can be born for happiness and not just for existence. We need an ecology and technology of hope and not of despair,'' says Prof. M. S. Swaminathan, chairman of the M. S. Swaminathan Research Foundation, Chennai, in the preface to this volume under review.

``Through reduction in our needs and through a balance between public good and private profit, we can convert the 21st century into one where considerations of both intra and inter- generational equity guide our day-to-day life. Let us fight the greed revolution and promote an ever-green revolution both in our farms and factories. If we do this, the next century will mark a transition to a new future for human kind characterised by ethics and social and gender equity and freedom from hunger,'' concludes the author on an optimistic note.

The book, sponsored by the H. K. Firodia Memorial Foundation, Pune, is a compilation of some special lectures delivered by the author in national and international fora.

They deal with wide-ranging topics commencing from a food secure world, sustainable food and nutritional security, science and sustainable development, ethics and equity in the collection of and use of plant genetic resources, and science in response to basic human needs.

Listing out the positive aspects of modern technologies, he says that modern information technology provides an opportunity to halt the adverse trend set by the industrial revolution of yesteryears and make technology an ally in the movement for economic and gender equity.

Frontier technologies like biotechnology, space, communication, information, and renewable energy technologies can be of great help in fostering sustainable advances in agriculture and industry.

Given appropriate public politics, the risks and benefits associated with new technologies like genetic engineering can be carefully assessed. Knowledge and skill empowerment as well as appropriate management and institutional structures are vital for ensuring that technological benefits reach the unreached, according to him.

This concise volume will be of immense value to researchers and policy-makers in the field of sustainable agricultural development and ecological security, and students of agriculture, environment and sustainable development.

G. VENKATARAMANI

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