| Abstract: | The green revolution was a planned intervention expected to raise cereal-grain production in Third World countries. Use of high yield varieties (HYVs) was to reduce dependence on food imports and bring about food self-sufficiency. Early results were increased overall cereal-grain production, but unforseen and undesirable social and economic consequences. The use of organizational development (OD) analysis of early green revolution results indicates that the initial strategy relied on a “hard” systems analysis to bring about adoption of the high yield varieties. Early green revolution work attempted to induce attitude and behaviour change within existing local and regional institutions. Recognizing the need to ensure distribution of green revolution inputs among subsistence farmers, later strategies used a “soft” systems analysis in developing structural intervention. Largely unable to reform existing government institutions and land-holding patterns which restricted small farmer HYV programme participation, programme managers designed alternative structures to allow the small/subsistence farmer access to HYV inputs. |
