Throughout the 1950s, India was the victim of stagnant crop yields but rapid population growth, putting the nation at risk of famine. The USAID quickly stepped in and introduced HYV crops to Punjab and other regions of India. The HYVs significantly improved wheat and rice production, saving the country from famine. By 1970 India increased their wheat production to over 20 million tons, up from 10 million in 1960.
Madras Chief Minister M Bhaktavatsalam inspecting the first consignment of emergency allotment of American wheat, 1966, The Hindu Photos Archive
Crop Yields in Latin America, 2004, Spatial Patterns of Crop Yields in Latin America and The Carribean
In Latin America, the USAID focused on implementing high-yielding varieties of rice, HYV rice. In 1975, before HYVs were fully implemented, the highest rice yields were in the western parts of the Colombian Savannah, the Coast of Peru, and Ecuador. By 1995 yields in these regions remained high, and new high-yielding areas emerged in Southern Mexico, Guyana, and Suriname.