The fascist Green Revolution

Abstract

Societal Impact StatementThe Green Revolution is commonly understood as the dramatic increase in food production in Mexico and India between the 1940s and 1970s due to the spread of new agricultural technologies, especially high‐yielding seed varieties. Beyond this conventional understanding, however, historians are now revealing the occurrence of—and connections between—various Green Revolutions across space and time. This article identifies a “fascist Green Revolution” through the history of agrarian development and scientific wheat breeding in fascist Italy (1922–1943). Through this case study, the article provides new insights into key themes of discussion around the Green Revolution such as the relationship between plant breeding, the environment, food security, and food self‐sufficiency.Summary In 1925, the fascist regime launched the “Battle of Wheat,” a plan of agrarian development aimed at achieving self‐sufficiency in wheat, Italy's main food crop. Key to this project was the replacement of traditional landraces with “elite” semi‐dwarf and early‐maturing wheat cultivars released by Italy's star plant breeder Nazareno Strampelli. Through the historical analysis of Strampelli's breeding program and of the implementation of the fascist “seed replacement” strategy, this article makes the case for viewing the Battle of Wheat as a “fascist Green Revolution.” The article draws on new methods and perspectives developed by the historiography of the Green Revolution. It is grounded on the historical analysis of fascist‐era publications and archival documents produced by Italian crop scientists and agricultural research institutions. While “elite” cultivars spread rapidly in fertile and wealthy northern Italy, they struggled to take hold in the dry and poor Italian South. The article delineates the environmental, social, and economic reasons underpinning this divergence. Focusing in particular on agrarian scientists' approaches to crop improvement in the Italian South, the article shows how this “marginal” region became a key site for the development of scientific counter‐narratives and concrete alternatives to the official fascist strategy of “seed replacement.” The article reveals the co‐existence of multiple approaches over space and time within fascist‐era agrarian science. Through this case study, it provides new elements to analyze key themes in science and agriculture historiography such as the tension between hyper‐modernization and agroecological concerns, centralized and decentralized research, imported technologies and local resources.