GREEN REVOLUTION

GREEN REVOLUTION

Introduction

• • Norman Borlaug started an initiative known as the “Green Revolution” in the 1960s. He is regarded globally as the “Father of the Green Revolution.” 
  • As a result, he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1970 for his efforts in creating wheat varieties known as High Yielding Varieties (HYVs).
  • M.S. Swaminathan led the Green Revolution primarily in India. 
  • From the mid-20th century onwards, new, high-yielding variety seeds were introduced into developing countries, leading to the introduction of the Green Revolution and a significant increase in food grain production, particularly in rice and wheat. 
  • The Indian subcontinent and Mexico saw its early, spectacular successes.
  •  The Green Revolution spread from 1967–1968 to 1977–1978 and transformed India from a food-deficient nation to one of the world’s most agriculturally advanced countries

Green Revolution

Objectives of Green Revolution

Short Term: 

• • During the second Five Year Plan, the revolution was started in order to address the hunger crisis in India.

Long Term: 

• • The long-term goals included the modernization of agriculture overall, with a focus on infrastructure, raw materials, industrial development, and rural and rural development.

Employment:

• • To employ laborers in the agricultural and industrial sectors.

Scientific Studies: 

• • Developing more resilient plants that can tolerate harsh weather conditions and illnesses.

Globalization of the Agricultural World: 

• • by establishing numerous corporations in important agricultural regions and transferring technology to non-industrialized countries.

Basic Elements of the Green Revolution

Expansion of Farming Areas: 

• • Even though there has been an increase in the area under cultivation since 1947, it was insufficient to meet the increasing demand. 
  •  The Green Revolution helped to facilitate this increase in the area covered by farms.

Double-cropping System: 

• • One main aspect of the Green Revolution was double cropping. It was decided to switch from having one to two crop seasons annually. 
  • The idea of having just one season a year was founded on the reality that there is only one wet season each year.
  • The second phase’s water came from massive irrigation projects now. In addition to other basic irrigation methods, dams were constructed. 

Using seeds with improved genetics:

• • The scientific component of the Green Revolution involved the use of seeds with improved genetics. 
  •  New strains of high yield variety seeds, primarily wheat, rice, millet, and corn, were created by the Indian Council for Agricultural Research.

Important Crops in the Revolution:

• • The principal crops were maize, wheat, rice, jowar, and bajra. 
  •  Grain products were not included in the new strategy’s scope.
  •  For many years, wheat was the cornerstone of the Green Revolution.
    

Green Revolution in India

• • India experienced the worst food crisis in history in 1943, known as the Bengal Famine, which claimed the lives of almost 4 million people in eastern India. 
  • Even after gaining independence in 1947, the government primarily focused on growing the agricultural lands until 1967.
  • However, the rate of population growth was outpacing the rate of food production, necessitating an urgent and drastic measure to boost yield. 
  • The Green Revolution was the result of the action. 
  • The term “green revolution” in India describes a time when the use of contemporary techniques and equipment, such as tractors, HYV seeds, fertilizers, pesticides, and irrigation systems, transformed Indian agriculture into an industrial system. 
  • The US, Indian, and Ford and Rockefeller foundations provided funding for it. 
  • In India, the Wheat Revolution predates the Green Revolution by a factor of three, as wheat production tripled between 1967–1968 and 2003–2004, but the total increase in cereal production was only doubled.

Positive Impacts of Green Revolution

Tremendous Increase in Crop Produce: 

• • It led to 131 million tonnes of grain being produced in 1978–1979, making India one of the world’s leading producers of agricultural goods. 
  • During the Green Revolution, the crop area under high-yielding wheat and rice varieties increased significantly.

Reduced Import of Food-Grains:

• • India achieved food grain self-sufficiency and maintained an adequate supply in the central pool, allowing it to occasionally export food grains. 
  • There has also been an increase in the net availability of food grains per capita.
    

Benefits to the Farmers: 

• • The Green Revolution’s introduction assisted farmers in increasing their income levels.
  • Farmers reinvested their excess revenue to raise agricultural output.
  •  The large farmers with more than 10 hectares of land benefited most from this revolution because they were able to invest large sums of money in a variety of inputs, such as machines, fertilizer, HYV seeds, etc. It supported capitalist farming as well. 

Industrial Growth:

• • Large-scale farm mechanization brought about by the Revolution led to a demand for a variety of machines, including electric motors, diesel engines, pumping sets, tractors, harvesters, threshers, and combines. 
  • In addition, there was a significant increase in demand for chemical weed killers, insecticides, fertilizers, and pesticides.
  •  Various sectors known as “agro-based industries” also used a number of agricultural products as raw materials. 

Rural Employment: 

• • The use of fertilizers and multiple cropping caused a noticeable increase in the demand for labor. 
  • The Green Revolution produced a large number of jobs for industrial and agricultural workers alike by building associated structures like factories and hydroelectric power plants.
    

Negative Impacts of Green Revolution

Non-Food Grains Left Out : 

• • All food grains, such as wheat, rice, jowar, bajra, and maize, have benefited from the revolution; however, other crops, such as oilseeds, pulses, and coarse cereals, were not included in its scope. 
  •  Major commercial crops virtually spared from the Green Revolution included cotton, sugarcane, jute, and tea.

Limited Coverage of HYVP: 

• • The crops that could only be grown under the High Yielding Variety Programme (HYVP) were maize, wheat, rice, jowar, and bajra. 
  • Consequently, non-food grains were not included in the new strategy’s scope.
  •  The HYV seeds used in non-food crops were either not developed enough or of insufficient quality for farmers to take a chance on using them. 

Regional Disparities:

• • Growing differences in economic development between and within regions are a result of Green Revolution technology.
  • Only 40% of the entire cropped area has been impacted thus far, and 60% of it is still unaffected.
  • The northern regions most impacted are Punjab, Haryana, and western Uttar Pradesh; the southern regions are Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. 
  •  It has barely made an appearance in the arid and semi-arid regions of Western and Southern India, as well as the Eastern region, which includes Assam, Bihar, West Bengal, and Orissa.
  •  Only those regions that were already in a better position from an agricultural standpoint were impacted by the Green Revolution. 
  • Consequently, the issue of regional disparities has become worse due to the Green revolution

Excessive Usage of Chemicals: 

• • Pesticides and synthetic nitrogen fertilizers were widely used for better irrigation projects and crop varieties as a result of the Green Revolution. 
  • Nevertheless, there were scant or no attempts to inform farmers about the significant risk that comes with using pesticides extensively.
  • Untrained farm laborers frequently sprayed pesticides on crops without taking the necessary safety precautions or instructions. 
  • In addition to doing more harm than good to crops, this pollutes the soil and the environment. 

Water Consumption: 

• • Water-intensive crops were introduced during the Green Revolution. 
  • The majority of these crops, which are cereals, accounted for nearly 50% of the water footprint in diet.
  • In order to supply water-intensive crops like sugarcane and rice, irrigation pumps and canal systems were installed, drawing water from the ground and lowering groundwater levels. 
  • Punjab has one of the highest rates of water depletion in India since it is a significant wheat and rice-growing region. 

Impacts on Soil and Crop Production:

• • Nutrients in the soil were depleted by repeated crop cycles, which were implemented to guarantee higher crop output. 
  • Farmers increased their use of fertilizer to meet the demands of new varieties of seeds.
  • The use of these alkaline chemicals raised the pH level of the soil. 
  • Beneficial pathogens were eliminated by toxic chemicals in the soil, which contributed to the yield decline. 

Unemployment:

• • With the exception of Punjab and a small portion of Haryana, farm mechanization brought about by the Green Revolution resulted in widespread unemployment among rural agricultural laborers. 
  •  The impoverished and laborers without land were the most impacted.
    

Health Hazards:

• • The extensive application of chemical pesticides and fertilizers, such as monocrotophos, phosphatemidon, methomyl, phorate, and triazophos, led to the development of several serious health conditions, such as cancer, renal failure, stillbirths, and birth abnormalities.

Green Revolution – Krishonnati Yojana

• • In an effort to strengthen the agricultural sector, the Indian government launched the Green Revolution Krishonnati Yojana in 2005. 
  • To boost farmers’ incomes, the government intends to use the program to develop agriculture and related industries in a comprehensive and scientific way.

Eleven schemes and missions are grouped together under a single overarching scheme. 

• • Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture (MIDH)
  • National Food Security Mission (NFSM)
  • National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture (NMSA)
  • Submission on Agriculture Extension (SMAE)
  • Sub-Mission on Seeds and Planting Material (SMSP)
  • Sub-Mission on Agricultural Mechanization (SMAM)
  • Sub-Mission on Plant Protection and Plan Quarantine (SMPPQ)
  • Integrated Scheme on Agriculture Census, Economics and Statistics (ISACES)
  • Integrated Scheme on Agricultural Cooperation (ISAC)
  • Integrated Scheme on Agricultural Marketing (ISAM)
  • National e-Governance Plan in Agriculture (NeGP-A)

The Evergreen Revolution

• • The Green Revolution’s advancements were accompanied by unfavorable environmental consequences in regions where intensive farming was practiced.
  • In areas with high population pressure, however, there is no choice but to increase food production.