The Green Revolution swept across India in the 1960s and 1970s, changing it from a nation begging for food aid to a top cotton and grain producer. But ‘Green’ did not refer to organic farming. Instead, politicians, scientists and philanthropists argued that by switching from traditional to Western farming methods – using pesticides and fertilisers – India could fight hunger.
Today, India’s pesticide industry is worth billions of dollars but there appears to be a high price – devastating health problems for communities where pesticides like endosulfan are intensively used. With pesticide companies claiming their products are safe, the film investigates India’s killer spray.
