xxxii 1950 to the Present overseas Most poor countries remained dependent on the export of low-priced single crops, such as coffee from Brazil, bananas and other fruits from Central America, and cocoa and peanuts from West Africa By the 21st century, privatization and globalization had further lowered the prices of agricultural products from nations in the Global South, leading to greater rural poverty The United States and others also sought to export wheat; hence, in Mexico and other South American nations wheat bread gradually began to undermine the popularity of the traditional corn tortillas that provided more complete nutrients Similarly, mothers in much of the Global South were encouraged to buy manufactured milk formulas rather than nursing their infants The degradation of the environment also made it harder for the rural poor to eke out livelihoods on depleted and deforested soils with insufficient water supplies In contrast, heavy government subsidies and protectionist policies protected farmers and the agricultural sector in Europe, North America, and Australasia Technological and political developments led to the increase of food production and distribution in many regions Improved transportation and communication systems allowed food from rich agricultural nations, especially the United States, Canada, and Australia, to be distributed in poor regions International humanitarian aid organizations and aid benefits by rock stars and others helped to provide needed relief Scientific and technological advances and chemical fertilizers also increased the yields of vital grains per acre However, the application of these developments was uneven Poor countries used the least amount of fertilizers; ranging from 200 grams per hectare of arable land in the Central African Republic to 535,800 grams per hectare in South Korea Pesticide use was similarly uneven The “green revolution” begun in the 1960s introduced high-yielding rice, corn, and wheat; as a result of the use of these high-yield crops, the world’s rice production doubled between 1967 and 1992, and India went from being a grain-importing nation to an exporter of rice Harvests in Mexico and other nations also increased Thus, formerly famine-prone nations such as India, Bangladesh, China, and Mexico were able to produce sufficient food to feed their growing populations, although pockets of hunger and malnutrition remained By the 1990s scientists had also successfully genetically modified (GM) key crops and livestock to increase production Vast irrigation projects such as the Aswa¯n Dam in Egypt, the Three Gorges Dam in China, and the Atatürk Dam in Turkey also brought new land into agricultural production, as well as generating electrical power for civilian use and industry Unfortunately, these projects came at high ecological and human costs Some argued that smaller, more technologically appropriate projects might have produced the same results at lower human and economic costs The development of new and less perishable foodstuffs was sometimes driven by wars or the military For example, during World War II, instant eggs and Spam were adopted as rations to feed troops After the war, many in the West adopted these products as part of their usual diets The space program also contributed to the development of high-energy drinks and dehydrated foods A wide variety of easily available and inexpensive frozen foods provided convenience to Western homemakers who eagerly fed TV dinners and other “fast foods” to their families These new foodstuffs altered the eating habits of many in the West and freed homemakers, mostly women, from long hours spent in food preparation Fast-food franchises proliferated from the West to Russia, the Middle East, India, and China The wealthy around the world adopted Western eating styles and foodstuffs, including soft drinks, hamburgers, and pizza Conversely, Asian cuisine from India, Thailand, and China became popular in the United States and Europe Other new foodstuffs, including a wide variety of soft drinks, were popular worldwide Health concerns, especially among the middle and upper classes in the West, contributed to the popularity of organic foods and eating locally grown products that were close to nature Many also adopted the Mediterranean diet heavy with fruits and vegetables with little meat The poor in the West and the rest of the world were generally unable to afford these more expensive foodstuffs or diets Hence although much of the world’s population was better fed by the beginning of the 21st century, people in Europe, North America, Japan, and Australasia consumed about one-third more