Efraím Hernández; the Ethnobotanist who Challenged the Green Revolution & Won

The Poor Prole’s Almanac

Efraím Hernández is a name that has been ignored by historians, despite the crucial role he played in numerous facets of botany. World renowned in the 50s and 60s, he challenged the Green Revolution's fundamental principled, defended the campesino farmers in Mexico, brokered a deal to end a national student strike, and was an integral part of the team which was responsible for documenting and classifying the largest collection of maize genetics in the world.

Fiercely principled, he challenged and was responsible for changing the way botany was taught in Mexico, and despite all of this work (and more!), there is little written about him in English. In this 3-part series, we talk about his story, the context of his work, and why his story is so important to bring to light.

To support this podcast, join our patreon for early episode access at www.patreon.com/poorprolesalmanac For more information and updates, visit www.poorproles.com and subscribe to our e-mail list. For the supplemental reader that goes along with the podcast, visit:

https://poorprolesalmanac.substack.com/p/efraim-hernandez-part-1

Sources:

1

https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/215207267.pdf

2

https://oxfordre.com/latinamericanhistory/oso/viewentry/10.1093$002facrefore$002f9780199366439.001.0001$002facrefore-9780199366439-e-30;jsessionid=D15EDE350BDCE3694B475270F82C3A70

3

Curry, H. A. (2022). Endangered maize: Industrial agriculture and the crisis of extinction. University of California Press.

4

https://ia902809.us.archive.org/21/items/biostor-160757/biostor-160757.pdf