“It was a rather simple idea,” historian Tore Olsson says in the film. The Man Who Tried to Feed the World … benefit. Copy a link to this video to your clipboard, Become a Closed Captioning. “Modern famines are rarely, if ever, an absolute crisis of food supply,” David Rieff writes in The Nation. The Man Who Tried to Feed the World recounts the story of the man who would not only solve India’s famine problem but would go on to lead a “Green Revolution” of worldwide agriculture programs estimated to have saved one billion lives. AMERICAN EXPERIENCE: The Man Who Tried To Feed The World Airs Tuesday, April 21, 2020 at 9 p.m. on KPBS TV + Friday, April 24 at 5 p.m. and Saturday, April 25 at 11 a.m. on KPBS 2 … The Man Who Tried to Feed the World recounts the story of the man who would not only solve India’s famine problem but would go on to lead a “Green Revolution” of worldwide agriculture programs estimated to have saved one billion lives. We can remove the first show in the list to add this one. Making sure that farmers fulfilled their moral obligation to “feed the world.”. Full Schedule. Instead of concerns that disgruntled farmers around the world might turn the Cold War into the benefit of the Soviets, US policymakers made global food supplies a top priority. We can remove the first video in the list to add this one. But as historians and agronomists explain in the film, Borlaug’s advancements—including higher-yield varieties, heavy use of synthetic fertilizers, and widespread adoption of irrigation—are now viewed in a more ambivalent light, due to mounting environmental costs and worsening social impacts on rural communities and agrarian societies. Member, Finding Your Roots With Henry Louis Gates, Jr.: DNA Mysteries, American Masters: Walter Winchell: The Power of Gossip. Major funding by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. But first, we need you to sign in to PBS using one of the services below. Watch Preview. Before you submit an error, please consult our Troubleshooting Guide. Copy a link to this video to your clipboard, Become a https://www.pbs.org/video/the-man-who-tried-to-feed-the-world-obcvcb Major funding by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. He was hailed as a hero, credited with ending famines in the developing world at a time when fears of an escalating population were weaponized as a potent political issue. Borlaug, now with a Ph.D. in plant pathology, was recruited in 1944 to a program of the Rockefeller Foundation to bring peace and prosperity to poor farmers in Mexico. Clip: Season 32 Episode 3 | 10m 5s But first, we need you to sign in to PBS using one of the services below. benefit. Borlaug allowed the planet to sustain many more people than had been thought possible by growing the world’s food supply, saving countless lives. The Man Who Tried to Feed the World tells the story of Norman Borlaug, an American agronomist who won the 1970 Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts in fighting global hunger. In other words, famines don’t start on farms. WHAT’S ON TONIGHT Check to see. With Jeanie Borlaug, Norman Borlaug, Nick Cullather, Indira Gandhi. Report a Problem | “It seemed incredibly relevant today, to look at the impact that an individual can have, for better and for worse.”, “The promise and peril of taking scientific approaches to solving real world problems is so clear in his story,” said Rob Rapley, the film’s director. But farming was revolutionized in the mid-1920s when the tractor of Henry Ford became widely available, and the labor required to plant and harvest crops became dramatically reduced. Your report has been successfully submitted. ET on AMERICAN EXPERIENCE on PBS, PBS.org and the PBS Video App. The Man Who Tried to Feed the World recounts the story of the man who would not only solve India’s famine problem but would go on to lead a “Green Revolution” of worldwide agriculture programs estimated to have saved one billion lives. Get extended access to 1600+ episodes, binge watch your favorite shows, and stream anytime - online But first, we need you to sign in to PBS using one of the services below. “Ancient grains” and “exotic fruit” are going to be big in 2018. Fortunately, America was up to the task, “blessed” with the ability to produce more than it could consume. He was awarded the 1970 Nobel Peace Prize for his work but spent the rest of his life watching his methods and achievements come under increasing fire. Your report has been successfully submitted. A clip from the new documentary film “The Man Who Tried to Feed the World,” premiering on PBS April 21, 2020. Before you submit an error, please consult our Troubleshooting Guide. Season 32 Episode 3 | 52m 27s In 1949, Borlaug’s work gained new significance from the Communist Revolution in China. After years of struggle and frustration, he successfully bred a wheat variety that delivered huge quantities of high-quality grain and could increase yields ten-fold. Engineer | Amateur Internet Scholar | Incurable Web Fan | IoT Geek | General Social Media Geek | Thinker And An Introvert, © Copyright 2019-2020. We can remove the first video in the list to add this one. Use one of the services below to sign in to PBS: You've just tried to add this video to My List. American Experience: The Man Who Tried to Feed the World In 1966, drought and an exploding population confronted India with the imminent threat of a severe famine that many scientists and intellectuals feared was a harbinger of global catastrophes to come, as the world's population outstripped its ability to produce food. You've just tried to add this show to My List. PRE-ORDER NOVA: Secret Mind of Slime DVD - AV Item, Woman's Suffrage Cookbook and Tea Towel Gift Set, Apollo Expeditions to the Moon (Hardcover), Miss Fisher & The Crypt of Tears DVD & Blu-ray, Independent Lens: Kind Hearted Woman: A Film by David Sutherland DVD, Blue Bird Yellow Bird 500 Piece Round Puzzle. Chapter 1 | The Man Who Tried to Feed the World, Problems Playing Video? But no matter how much food has been created with Green Revolution technologies, Borlaug’s initial calling—to feed the hungry people of the world—remains unfulfilled. Borlaug first experienced the horror of real starvation in Mexico, and soon reworked his project. We can remove the first show in the list to add this one. Corporate sponsorship for American Experience is provided by Liberty Mutual Insurance and Consumer Cellular. Use one of the services below to sign in to PBS: You've just tried to add this video to My List. Your continuing support helps make KQED possible. Borlaug found a way to feed the hungry, in theory. How to build a regional grain economy from scratch, In the largest prosecution of organic fraud in U.S. history, Iowa grain seller sentenced to 10 years in prison. There are more than 800 million hungry people around the world, a number that is on the rise, according to the United Nations. Over the next thirty years, the global population would swell—and billions of new people would need more food than had been produced in the last 8,000 years, he claimed. India turned to Norman Borlaug, an unassuming plant breeder, The Story of India & More Michael Woods Titles, Every purchase supports public television for all, American Experience: The Man Who Tried to Feed the World DVD. Plant breeder Norman Borlaug solves India's famine problem and leads a "Green Revolution" of agriculture programs around the world, saving 1 billion lives and winning a 1970 Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts.