“The green revolution” is a phrase that has resounding global impact.

Among other things, it refers to recent technology advances, computer- and satellite-assisted processes to grow more food, windmills, and use solar energy and recycling.

In an exponentially climbing population, the sustainable production of food is vitally important.

“Enough: Why the World’s Poorest Starve in an Age of Plenty,” tells about the green revolution, which began nearly 70 years ago in Mexico.

The book, which won the Action Against Hunger Humanitarian Award in 2009, was written by Wall Street Journal Reporters Roger Thurow and Scott Kilman.

“Enough” explains the politics and misguided policies of the United States and European nations that contribute to starvation around the world, with most of the authors’ explanation focusing on Africa. As a former U.S. Peace Corps volunteer in Namibia, I have seen the incredible hunger there that global food distribution issues have created.

The federally legislated program that allows America to ship food aid to Africa simply does not work. Free food from America means crops grown in Africa do not get sold. The food rots in bags in warehouses and in the open air. African farmers cannot make a living and quit growing food, which creates a dependency on food aid and decreases farm employment. This ultimately leads back to more need for U.S. aid, creating a vicious circle.

These are ideas I never really thought about. I thought food aid was good because of the lack of infrastructure of irrigation, roads, equipment and farming know-how. But Thurow and Kilman showed how food aid should help by buying locally grown crops to build a market, investing in farm technology and helping bring water access.

These ideas changed my perspective about world hunger.

African leaders do not escape responsibility for their contribution to hunger. Thurow and Kilman cite war, corruption and bad policies have devastated many countries.

The authors cite Norman Borlaug, who earned a Ph.D. in Plant Pathology, as the individual who sparked the revolution.

Borlaug was tapped to help overcome “stem rust” in wheat, a formerly major Mexican crop, because farmers had to stop work due to the rust crop damage. His efforts to breed wheat resistant to stem rust were successful, and he turned his attention to modifying crops around the world to help reduce starvation.

The book’s final chapters left me with a sense of optimism, in that some major efforts are being made by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the Rockefeller Foundation, Bono and other high-profile entities.

It also cites smaller efforts that make a difference. One such act is creating awareness and raising money, or making a donation to an international agency like Plumpy’nut. This organization disperses a high calorie spread, which speeds recovery for malnourished children. In 2007, about 7,000 tons of the spread was distributed, and by the end of 2010, Plumpy production reached 50,000 tons.

This is not strictly an African issue. It’s symptomatic of a global issue that can be traced back to America.

The amount and kind of aid we receive is directly related to the measure of rewards we receive. The better third-world countries can sustain themselves, the less first-world countries will have to extend a helping hand.

Thurow and Kilman also mention an African proverb that reflects how we should all work together, instead of separately, to reduce hunger: “If you want to go fast, go it alone. If you want to go far, go together.”