Borlaug had his haters. Environmentalists such as Rachel Carson blasted the Green Revolution for its use of pesticides. Though overuse of pesticides runs the risk of damaging the environment and negating the very benefits they confer, we cannot be blinded to pesticides’ benefits when used in moderation. Other charges leveled against Borlaug include promotion of a monoculture susceptible to disease — a situation we face regardless given that the majority of the world’s calories come from just four staple crops: wheat, rice, corn, and potatoes. Borlaug acknowledged the need for continual improvement while denouncing environmental “elitists” who “never went to sleep hungry