References to ‘the Green Revolution’ in the development literature over the last decade or two are nearly always selective. The revolution is seen as having taken place from the 1960 s in Asia; almost no one refers to the green revolution programs in Latin America during the 1940 s and ‘50 s. Remarkably, this silence extends even to the Rockefeller Foundation’s Mexican Agricultural Program whose importance – not least for the subsequent programs in Asia – was widely recognized by the 1960 s. It is unlikely that the development community is ignorant of the Green Revolution’s history. Instead I argue that the Mexican program has been conveniently forgotten because, despite its very substantial impact upon wheat production, it failed utterly to alleviate rural poverty and malnutrition. For those who regard a ‘new Green Revolution’ as the only viable way to secure future food supplies, therefore, the Mexican episode is an embarrassment which is best left unmentioned.

在过去的一两年中，发展文献中提到的“绿色革命”几乎总是有选择性的。这场革命被视为发生于1960年代的亚洲。在1940年代和50年代，几乎没有人提到拉丁美洲的绿色革命计划。值得注意的是，这种沉默甚至延伸到了洛克菲勒基金会的墨西哥农业计划，该计划的重要性（尤其是对亚洲随后的计划而言）在1960年代得到了广泛认可。发展界不太可能对绿色革命的历史一无所知。相反，我认为墨西哥计划被人们轻易地遗忘了，因为尽管它对小麦生产产生了巨大影响，但却未能完全减轻农村贫困和营养不良。