Ep 93 The Great Disfarmament - The Great Disarmament Part 5: Cold Crops

In this episode, host Avis Kalfsbeek examines the Cold War’s eerie balance between restraint and escalation. While world powers held their fire through Mutually Assured Destruction, another kind of battle intensified in the fields. The Green Revolution promised to end hunger, but often delivered dependency. With hybrid seeds, fossil-fuel fertilizers, and pesticides drawn from wartime chemistry, agriculture became a new theater of control. Countries in the Global South were offered technological salvation—at the cost of local knowledge, biodiversity, and sovereignty. Our featured voice is Rachel Carson, whose 1962 book Silent Spring revealed the hidden cost of domination disguised as innovation. Her quiet courage helped spark a global movement for environmental awareness and restraint. We also reflect on Norman Borlaug’s legacy through The Man Who Fed the World—a reminder that even well-intentioned interventions can carry unintended consequences. Control, scale, and speed defined the era. But memory, humility, and care may yet define the future. 📘 Download the Peace Resource Guide: aviskalfsbeek.com/peaceguide 📢 Share this episode using #TheGreatDisarmament 📚 Get Mono Mutante: aviskalfsbeek.com/mono-mutante 💛 Follow my Kickstarter: aviskalfsbeek.com/kickstarter 🎵 Music is by Javier “Peke” Rodriguez: The Red Kite Javier on Bandcamp: javierpekerodriguez.bandcamp.com Javier on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/3QuyqfXEKzrpUl6b12I3KW?si=iFFXM2gYR2CuuGjmsfNViQ