ABSTRACT
Agriculture formed the basis of the emergence of early civilizations in the Middle East and Asia and is arguably the most critical economic activity to sustain human livelihood. Since the middle of the twentieth century, growing populations, rising wealth, urbanization, escalating consumption and changing diets have triggered the industrialization of agriculture around the world through the use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides, crop breeding, mechanization and land consolidation. This Green Revolution spread around the world during the last four decades of the twentieth century, allowing agricultural productivity to soar, especially in Asian countries such as China and India, and supporting growth in international trade in food and agricultural inputs.
