As millions continue to face a future of food poverty, lessons can be learned by considering how farmer cooperatives succeeded in improving India's food security. 'Operation Flood', which revitalised the Indian dairy industry between 1970 and 1996, was the world's largest development programme, however critics accused it of luring India to neocolonial dependence on European surpluses. Eventually the perils of reliance on food aid were managed by proper pricing policies that both benefited rural farming families and wiped out urban 'milk famines'. In 2008 the World Bank hailed the programme's success and now promotes similar schemes in Africa. A detailed understanding of India's White Revolution is therefore imperative in the context of its future use in the developing world.

Born in Calicut, Kerala, Dr Verghese Kurien graduated in science and engineering from Madras University and Michigan State University, US, respectively. He began his career in dairying at the government's creamery in Anand, Gujarat, later joining the Kaira District Cooperative Milk Producers'Union Limited (now Amul). As chairman of the National Dairy Development Board, he implemented 'Operation Flood'. He has received countless awards, including the Ramon Magsaysay Award (1963), Wateler Peace Prize (1986), World Food Prize (1989) Padma Shri (1965), Padma Bhushan (1966) and Padma Vibhushan (1999). Dr Kurien is currently Chairman of the Institute of Rural Management, Anand; Chairman of the Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation; and Chairman of the National Cooperative Dairy Federation of India. Gouri Salvi is a Mumbai-based freelance journalist. She has worked with Onlooker and Sunday magazines, and with the Women's Feature Service. She has written on development and gender issues, has co-edited Beijing! a book on the UN's Fourth World Conference on Women, and edited Development Retold: Voices From the Field, a book on the Indian Cooperative Union.

When Verghese Kurien stepped down from the train and on to the dusty platform in Anand, Gujarat, on 13 May, 1949, little did he know that his life was going to change unimaginably. Waiting for him was not just his own destiny but that of thousands of small, marginalised farmers who, until then, had only known exploitation and deprivation. The story of Dr. Kurien is the story of Amul. It is the story of Operation Flood, the 'billion-liter idea' that set India on the top of the world map for milk production. A die-hard patriot, Kurien was committed to the co-operative cause. He put the milk industry in the hands of the farmers, believing firmly that with ownership would come responsibility and great success. And he was right. Amar Chitra Katha traces the story of the man who is known as the 'Father of the White Revolution'

A history of how India became a major player in the global technology industry, mapping technological, economic, and political transformations.

Collection of speeches in chronological order of the chairman of the National Dairy Development Board of India.

Portuguese edition (Melhor Saude em Africa: Experiencia e Ensinamentos Colhidos). Poor health in Sub-Saharan Africa has immense economic consequences. Besides the high mortality and disease rates and the pain and suffering it causes, poor health robs the continent of human capital, reduces returns to learning, impedes entrepreneurial activities, and restricts economic growth. This study argues that despite financial constraints, significant improvements are possible in many countries, as has been seen in Benin, Botswana, Kenya, Mauritius, and Zimbabwe. The book also presents positive ideas on how to make these improvements. Better Health in Africa documents lessons learned and best practices in four major areas. 1) African households and communities need the knowledge and resources to recognize and respond effectively to health problems. Threats to health should be made known and countered through public and private services. 2) Human and financial resources must be used more productively by reforming health care systems. Correcting sources of waste and inefficiency must take top priority. 3) Cost-effective packages of basic health services can do much to meet the needs of households and reduce the burden of disease. Networks of local health centers and small hospitals in rural and periurban areas can facilitate delivery. 4) Additonal funds totaling $1.6 billion a year can help those living in Africa's low-income areas obtain basic health services. Cost-sharing can make an important contribution to health equity and the sustainability of health services. The report emphasizes that no government should delay committing itself to the task, although progress toward better health will vary from country to country and no single formula will apply to all. Better Health in Africa presents action plans and yardsticks for measuring progress. The idea of the core, cost-effective package of health services complements World Development Report 1993: Investing in Health with an operationally oriented perspective on health services. The report also reflects the views of organizations such as the World Health Organization and UNICEF that will work together in helping African countries adapt and implement the report's recommendations. Also available: English (ISBN 0-8213-2817-4) Stock No. 12817; French (ISBN 0-8213-2818-2) Stock No. 12818.