Development

While the green revolution of the 1960s brought significant improvements to the agricultural productivity of Asia and Latin America, the revolution has not enjoyed the same success in sub-Saharan Africa due to a variety of factors. Additionally, large population growth and widespread migration to urban areas in many parts of the region have resulted in demand for food growing at a faster rate than local supply.

At the 2000 United Nations Summit a plan was developed to combat problems facing the world’s most impoverished populations. The plan was based on eight major objectives, known as the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs); the World Health Organization (WHO), part of the U.N., was responsible for coordinating efforts on the health-related objectives.