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<br />-' <br /> <br />I though its population had increased to over 43 million. But in the late <br /> <br />2 1960' s, growth in food produc.tion began to lose momentum.. By the early <br /> <br />3 1970's, population had once more outstripped production, and-Mexico was <br /> <br />4 again importing 15 to 20% of her food. <br /> <br />.. <br />5 Wellhausen (2) concluded that the green revolut~on technology pack- <br /> <br />6 age had succeeded in Mexico in the early 1960's primarily among the <br /> <br />7 larger, more commercial farmers, particularly where full-scale irrigatio <br /> <br />8 could be practiced. These farmers were in a better position than small <br /> <br />9 farmers to afford the fertilizer, pesticides, and other inputs necessa~y <br /> <br />10 for the new high-yielding varieties to reach their full potential. And <br /> <br />11 irrigation eliminated much of the risk of these expensive inputs being <br /> <br />12 wasted by a drought. The third of Mexico's farmland that is irrigated <br /> <br />13 produces more than half of its food. But by the late 1960's, Mexico <br />I <br /> <br />14 began to run out of clients for this specialized technology package. <br /> <br />15 Practically all the water resources in the areas adaptable to full-scale <br /> <br />16 irrigation were being used. In some cases, groundwater aquifers were <br /> <br />17 being overdrafted. Future gains in food production by putting addi- <br /> <br />18 tional land under full-scale irrigation will be extremely costly in <br /> <br />19 Mexico. <br /> <br />20 Wellhausen (2) suggests two approach~s to bring about Mexico's <br /> <br />21 second agricultural revolution. One is to intensify production on the <br /> <br />22 full-scale irrigation projects. In areas subject to frost, winter <br /> <br />23 wheat could be grown. With ideal management, present yields could be <br /> <br />24 doubled. In frost-free areas, improved management could permit three <br /> <br />25 or even four crops to be grown instead of two. The orher approach is <br /> <br />26 to bring the green revolution to the large rainfed areas practicing <br /> <br />27 traditional agricul ture. F'211:oausen CO'Tmen ts that supp lemen t2,l irri- <br />0'"', I I"\r. t'"-'!- <br />,4~''J <br />