SUSTAINABLE

DEVELOPMENT

ASSIGNMENT -1
GREEN REVOLUTION

SUBMITTED BY:
SMRITI
1208142019
2ND SEM., M.PLAN
 GREEN REVOLUTION

INTRODUCTION
After Independence India faced several challenges to meet the requirements even to
meet the basic needs of the country. Adequate food supply was one among the basic
problems of Indian Economy. At the time of independence in 1947, India was a vastly poor
nation with almost 90 percent of its population living in nearly 600,000 villages was
dependent on agriculture. Since independence India in general and Punjab in particular
witnessed many problems and out of all food deficiency was the main. Food deficiency took
place in Punjab because most of the rich lands, irrigation facilities and other rural
infrastructure went to west Punjab, a prerequisite for rapid agricultural development. Steps
like land reforms, ceiling of land holdings, protection of tenants etc. were adopted in Punjab
during mid fifties. In brief the motive was to bring radical change in Punjab’s Agriculture.

WHAT IS GREEN REVOLUTION ?

The Green Revolution was a period when the productivity of global agriculture
increased drastically as a result of new advances. During this time period, new chemical
fertilizers and synthetic herbicides and pesticides were created. The chemical fertilizers
made it possible to supply crops with extra nutrients and, therefore, increase yield. The
newly developed synthetic herbicides and pesticides controlled weeds, or kill insects, and
prevented diseases, which also resulted in higher productivity.
In addition to the chemical advances utilized during this time period, high-yield crops were
also developed and introduced. High-yield crops are crops that are specifically designed to
produce more overall yield. A method known as multiple cropping was also implemented
during the Green Revolution and lead to higher productivity. Multiple cropping is when a field
is used to grow two or more crops throughout the year, so that the field constantly has
something growing on it. These new farming techniques and advances in agricultural
technology were utilized by farmers all over the world, and when combined, intensified the
results of the Green Revolution.

ORIGINS OF THE GREEN REVOLUTION

In April of 1969, then president of the Rockefeller Foundation, George Harrar called a
meeting to address the problem of world hunger. In attendance were 16 leaders from the
world’s major foreign assistance agencies that were also concerned with agricultural
development.
The Rockefeller Foundation had already been working with partners in developing countries
to develop technology to increase food production. They held the meeting in Bellagio, Italy
to emphasize the importance of scientific advancements in farming techniques as opposed to
food shipments to poor countries by aid organizations. They presented the positive impacts
achieved by the major international agricultural research centers. One of these achievements
was the introduction of new varieties of seeds developed by plant scientist Norman Borlaug
that were “stocky, disease-resistant, fast-growing and highly-responsive to fertilizer”.
The 1969 Bellagio conference was the impetus for the world’s agricultural-development
3 organizations’ mobilization of plans for an increase in food production, later termed the
“Green Revolution”. The Green Revolution quickly spread through the developing world,
including the states of India.
GREEN REVOLUTION IN INDIA
To assure the food security in the country , Green revolution was initiated in
late 60’s in India. The term green revolution is coined by William Gaud in October 1968, is
a process that leads to improves agricultural productivity. Under the leadership of Dr.
Norman Borlaug, a variety of high yielding variety of seeds, semi dwarf wheat was bred in
late 1960’s in India after a severe famine in East India State of Mizoram which affected
around 700,000 people.
After using these HYV seeds in India the country’s annual wheat production
rocketed from 10 million tons in 2008, raising food production rate in excess of population
growth, ensuring the first condition of food security.
By the 1990’s almost 75 % of agricultural land in India had been sown with HYV rice and
wheat varieties, replacing traditional farming practices in many areas and leading to a
substantial increase in food production. The first wave of Green revolution that started in
mid 60’s till almost a decade was restricted to the limited crop wheat and limited area i.e
the western part of India that constitutes of Punjab, Haryana, and western parts of Uttar
Pradesh.
Green Revolution helped in saving billions of people from starvation and
ensuring food security in the country. It implies the development of HYV of cereal grains,
expansion of irrigation infrastructure , modernization of management techniques, distribution
of hybridized seeds, synthetic fertilizers and pesticides to farmers.
It helped to overcome famine crisis and enable the country to provide enough
food to feed its citizen. However the revolution involved moving away from natural pesticides
and conventional grains and towards chemical pesticides , hybrid seeds and later on GM
seeds. A promised agricultural output demand increase in some Indian states with national
wheat production increasing from 10 million tons in 1960’s to almost 95 million tons in
2012. However the green revolution is largely criticized for not tackling the root causes of
hunger, indeed these gains came at a price paid by ill health and environment Mechanization
and adoption of new pump technology affected the agriculture and natural resources. Water
table for instance also started declining after inception of Green Revolution.

CAUSES OF GREEN REVOLUTION IN PUNJAB

1. HYV Seeds : High yielding varieties of seeds have played great role in increasing
agricultural production in Punjab. These seeds were introduced in 1996 for the production
of wheat, rice, maize bajra and Jowar. As a result of the use of these seeds per hectare
production has increased a lot. For example, per hectare yield of wheat has increased from
12 quintals to 43 quintals and that of rice from 10 quintals to 31 quintals. Thus use of HYV
seeds has helped in accelerating the pace of Green revolution.
2. Fertilizers : Use of chemical fertilizers has also increased production of food grains very
much. In 1967-68, chemical fertilizers were used in Punjab to the extent of 99 thousands
tonnes. In 1999-2000, their use increased to 1447 thousands tonnes. Use of chemical
fertilizers has thus increased by 12 times.
3. Irrigation : Increase in the area of irrigation has also influenced Green Revolution. In the
year 1965-66, irrigation facility was available over an area of 22 Lakhs hectares. In 1999-
2000, this facility was available to 75.44 lakh hectares of irrigation has increased very
much in Punjab. Now their number has increased in 9 Lakhs and 50 thousands. In Punjab 60
percent of area is irrigation through tubewells.
4. Multiple Cropping : Proper arrangement of irrigation and use of HYV seeds have enabled
the farmers to grow more than one crop in a year. For example, after the harvest of wheat in
April, moong is sown in the same field. It matures within two months and is followed by the
sowing of rice and sugarcane. Due to multiple cropping, production of food grains has risen
very much. In 1999-2000, multiple cropping was being practiced over an area of 361 lakh
hectares.
5. Agricultural Machinery : Use of modern agricultural machinery has also increased a great
deal. For instance, tractors, harvesters, pumping-sets, tube wells etc. are seen everywhere.
Use of HYV seeds only and multiple cropping were facilitated by the progressive use of
modern machinery. Agriculture in Punjab has been mechanized on a large-scale, as is evident
from the increasing use of tractors, threshers, combine harvesters and other machines.
Punjab has the largest number of tractors in the country. Number of tractors in in Punjab, in
1966 was just ten thousands, it increased to 3 lakh 4 thousands in 1995-96. All the
villages in Punjab have since been electrified, as such mechanization of agriculture has
become possible on a large scale.
6. Credit Facilities : Farmers have been getting more credit facilities. Previously, they used
to get 80 percent of their credit needs met through the money-lenders at a very high rate
of interest. But now a major part of their needs in met by agricultural credit institutions at a
very low rate of interest. In 1967-68, Co-operative Credit Societies, provided loan
facilities to the extent of Rs. 75 crores. In 2000, these facilities increased to Rs. 1897
crores. As a result of bank nationalisation in 1969 and 1980 the amount of credit given to
farmers by these banks has increased in manifold. In 2000, commercial banks in Punjab
advanced loans to the agricultural sector to the tune of Rs. 2745 crores. Cheap credit
facilities to the farmers enabled them to buy more and more of HYV seeds, chemical
fertilizers, machines etc. They were also enabled to arrange minor irrigation for their parched
tools.
IMPACTS OF GREEN REVOLUTION
Green revolution was highly successful as agricultural production of most of
countries increased. India which was once dependant on import of food grains for satisfying
need of its population gradually become exporter of food grains. Green revolution has both
its positive and negative effects.

1. Water Contamination
Fertilizers and pesticides via water runoff , flow directly into storm drains and
bodies of water causing contaminated water resources. Algae glooms are a result of the
excess nitrogen and phosphorus from runoff that goes into lakes and ponds. Algae blooms
also decrease the amount of oxygen in the water killing fishes.
2. Soil Contamination
Soil contamination or soil pollution is caused by the presence of xenobiotic (human-
made) chemicals or other alteration in the natural soil environment. It is typically caused by
industrial activity, agricultural chemicals. The most common chemicals involved polynuclear
aromatic hydrocarbons (such as naphthalene and benzo(a)pyrene), pesticides, lead, and
other heavy metals.
3.Greenhouse gas emissions
According to a study published in 2013 in PNAS, in the absence of the crop
germplasm improvement associated with the Green revolution, greenhouse gas emissions
would have been 5.2-7.4 Gt higher than observed in 1965–2004.
4.Dependence on non-renewable resources
Most high intensity agricultural production is highly reliant on non-renewable
resources. Agricultural machinery and transport, as well as the production of pesticides and
nitrates all depend on fossil fuels. Moreover, the essential mineral nutrient phosphorus is
often a limiting factor in crop cultivation, while phosphorus mines are rapidly being depleted
worldwide. The failure to depart from these non-sustainable agricultural production methods
could potentially lead to a large scale collapse of the current system of intensive food
production within this century.
5. Loss of Biodiversity
The spread of Green Revolution agriculture affected both agricultural biodiversity
and wild biodiversity. There is little disagreement that the Green Revolution acted to reduce
agricultural biodiversity, as it relied on just a few high-yield varieties of each crop. For
example, before the revolution, it is speculated that there were over 3000 variants of rice.
now it is estimated that only ten modified variety of rice is used.
Diversity is a central principle of traditional agriculture in the Punjab, as in the rest of India.
Such diversity contributed to ecological stability, and hence to ecosystem productivity. The
lower the diversity in an ecosystem, the higher its vulnerability to pests and disease.
The Green Revolution package has reduced genetic diversity at two levels. First, it replaced
mixtures and rotations of crops like wheat, maize, millets, pulses and oil seeds with
monocultures of wheat and rice. Second, the introduced wheat and rice varieties came from
a very narrow genetic base. Of the thousands of dwarf varieties bred by Borlaug, only three
were eventually used in the Green Revolution. On this narrow and alien genetic base the
food supplies of millions are precariously perched.
6.Increasing Pesticide Use
Because of their narrow genetic base, HYVs are inherently vulnerable to major pests and
diseases. As the Central Rice Research Institute, in Cuttack, India, notes of rice: "The
introduction of high yielding varieties has brought about a marked change in the status of
insect pests like gall midge, brown plant hopper, leaf-folder, whore maggot, etc.
 Most of the high-yielding varieties released so far are susceptible to major pests with a
crop loss of30-100 per cent." Even where new varieties are specially bred for resistance to
disease, "breakdown in resistance can occur rapidly and in some instances replacement
varieties may be required every three years or so." In the Punjab, the rice variety PR 106,
which currently accounts for 80 per cent of the area under rice cultivation, was considered
resistant to white backed plant hopper and stem rot when it was introduced in 1976.
It has since become susceptible to both diseases, in addition to succumbing to rice leaf-
folder, stem borer and several other insect pests.
The natural vulnerability of HYVs to pests has been exacerbated by other aspects of the
Green Revolution package. Large-scale monoculture provides a large and often permanent
niche for pests, turning minor diseases into epidemics; in addition, fertilizers have been
found to lower plants' resistance to pests.
The result has been a massive increase in the use of pesticides, in itself creating still further
pest problems due to the emergence of pesticide-resistant pests and a reduction in the
natural checks on pest populations. The "miracle" seeds of the Green Revolution have thus
become mechanisms for breeding new pests and creating new diseases.
7. Impact on Health
The consumption of the pesticides used to kill pests by humans in some cases
may be increasing the likelihood of cancer in some of the rural villages using them. Poor
farming practices including non-compliance to usage of masks and over-usage of the
chemicals compound this situation. In 1989, WHO and UNEP estimated that there were
around 1 million human pesticide poisonings annually. Some 20,000 (mostly in developing
countries) ended in death, as a result of poor labeling, loose safety standards etc.
Long term exposure to pesticides such as organochlorines, creosote, and sulfate has been
correlated with higher cancer rates and organochlorines DDT, chlordane, andlindane as
tumor promoters in animals. Contradictory epidemiologic studies in humans have linked
phenoxy acid herbicides or contaminants in them with soft tissue sarcoma (STS) and
malignant lymphoma, organochlorine insecticides with STS, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL),
leukemia, and, less consistently, with cancers of the lung and breast, organophosphorous
compounds with NHL and leukemia, and triazine herbicides with ovarian cancer.
8. Suicide Rates in Punjab
Before the green revolution, the communities of Punjab lived in a social system in
which members supported each other and used natural resources like animal and plant
manures and diversified crops to ensure soil fertility . This system was user-friendly, and
members had a sense of hope because they were living in a bonded community. The coming
of new technology in the 1960s forced even poor peasants to end their original practices
and adopt a market economy in which without money there was little chance to prosper.
Under this new technology, Punjab shifted from diversified crops to monoculture, growing
wheat and rice on nearly 78 percent of the land . From the 1960s to 1980s, peasants and
agricultural laborers noticed a high monetary return from their efforts due to the high
demand for wheat and rice in other states of India and other countries . Challenges emerged
from the 1980s where many small-scale farmers had to borrow to manage the increasing
cost of production and commercialization. The new agricultural style promised high returns
and therefore easy credit. People’s consumption led to crop failure, and since they had
raised their level of expenditures, there was an increased debt burden. In 1997 alone, the
average debt was $88 per acre of cultivated land among small farmers . The overproduction
of wheat and rice led to huge stocks and poor procurement and storage, which caused a
market crisis
Indebtedness and lack of demand for wheat and rice led to economic stress linked to
increased cases of suicides among farmers in Punjab. Stress is a well-known social
determinant of health, which can lead to poor mental health , and arguably accelerated the
rate of suicide among farmers. Punjab started to report an increase in suicide among farmers
in the 1990s, and by 1993, the rate had increased by nearly 52% while throughout the
rest of India the increase was only 5.11% .

10. Malnutrition in Punjab in the era of the Green Revolution

Despite economic growth by the green revolution, children in Punjab state lack a
lot of necessary nutrients. State surveys found that there is a deficiency of iron and folate
in 80 percent of the children aged 6 to 35 months with 7% being severely affected in
2006. It was found that only 18.5% of children between six to 24 months and 37.2%
between 3 to 5-year -old children had an adequate intake of foods with iron. Iron and folate
deficiency leads to anemia, which exposes children to diseases and low immunity level. One
particular study conducted in rural settings in 2002, found that 60% of preschool children
were stunted and 12% wasted. These schoolchildren had a diet poor in minerals, fats, and
energy. It is arguable that the green revolution has played a part in this deficiency due to
undernourishment brought by monoculture system. However, other factors like infestation
with worms could explain the high prevalence of anemia.
Ninety-nine percent of adolescents in Punjab were also found to be anemic in 2006.
Pregnant women nutrition status has also been affected by the green revolution. A
national survey in 2006 found a prevalence of 42% of anemia among pregnant women in
Punjab .
SOURCE:

• http://www.raijmr.com/ijrhs/wp
content/uploads/2017/11/IJRHS_2017_vol05_issue_03_08.pdf
• https://www.grin.com/document/432637
• http://worldnewsreport.in/green-revolution-and-the-cancer-train-in-punjab/
• http://ierj.in/journal/index.php/ierj/article/view/825/793
• https://shodhganga.inflibnet.ac.in/bitstream/10603/2890/9/09_chapter%203.pdf
• https://www.jstor.org/stable/3741754?read-now=1&seq=3#page_scan_tab_contents
• http://livingheritage.org/green-revolution.htm