Cold War, modernization of agriculture and green revolution: The World Bank and the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research

Abstract

This article analyzes the role of the World Bank in building the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR). Founded in 1971, the CGIAR played a fundamental role in spreading the “green revolution”, one of the most notable and controversial aspects of the capitalist modernization policies of agriculture in the countries of what was then called the Third World. The theme is situated within the context of the Cold War and the “containment” policies of communism carried out by the United States government. The work addresses the World Bank’s turn to agriculture in the early 1960s, which intensified during Robert McNamara’s tenure (1968-81) as head of the institution. It analyzes the World Bank’s participation in the creation of the CGIAR, through which the green revolution would spread in the following years, problematizing the main reasons for this engagement. Finally, it discusses the ways in which the Bank promoted the capitalist (conservative) modernization of agriculture, with emphasis on integrated rural development projectsaimed at segments of the peasantry. The period under discussion extends from the early 1940s to the end of the McNamara administration.