Nowrosjee Wadia College

(BACHELORS OF ARTS)

PROJECT REPORT

Of the Dissertation entitled

(GREEN REVOLUTION IN INDIA)

Proposed to be submitted in

(DEPARTMENT OF GEOGRAPHY)

By

(SHRADDHA RAJU GAIKWAD)

ROLL NO - 41

Submitted To

(Prof. Ram Kolapkar)

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 INDEX

SR.NO CHAPTER NAME PAGE NO

1 INTRODUCTION 03
2 OBJECTIVES OF GREEN REVOLUTION 03
3 WHAT IS GREEN REVOLUTION 04
4 HISTORY OF GREEN REVOLUTION IN INDIA 05
5 FEATURES OF GREEN REVOLUTION 06
6 MARKET SURPLUS 07
7 IMPACT OF THE GREEN REVOLTION 08
8 ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF GREEN 09
REVOLUTION
9 GREEN REVOLUTION VS TRADITIONAL 10
AGRICULTURE
10 THE ECOLOGICAL CONSEQUENCES 11
11 THE SOCIAL AND POLITICAL CONSEQUENCES 11
12 CRISIS IN PUNJAB 12-13
13 LIMITATIONS OF GREEN REVOLUTION 14-15
14 ACHIEVEMENT OF NEW GREEN REVOLUTON IN 15-16
INDIA
15 CONCLUSION 17
16 REFERENCE 18

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INTRODUCTION
The Green Revolution in India refers to a period of time when agriculture in
India changed to an industrial system due to the adoption of modern methods
and technology such as high yielding variety (HYV) seeds, tractors, irrigation
facilities, pesticides, fertilizers etc. This was part of the larger Green
revolution started by Norman Borlaug. Within India, green revolution started in
the early 1960s and led to an increase in food grain production. Dr. Mankombu
Sambasivan Swaminathan is known as the "Father of Indian Green Revolution"
for his leadership and success in introducing and further developing high
yielding varieties of wheat in India.

OBJECTIVES OF GREEN REVOLUTION

 Expansion of Farming Areas
 Double-Cropping the Farmlands
 Use of Superior Genetic Quality Seeds
 Use of chemicals (pesticides, insecticides, fertilizers etc.)
 Use of machineries
 Technological advancement

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What is Green Revolution?
• It is a large increase in crop production in developing countries achieved by
the use of artificial fertilizers, pesticides and high-yield crop varieties.

• The Green revolution was the period when the productivity of the global
agriculture increased drastically as a result of new advances

• The chemical fertilizers made it possible to supply crops with an extra amt of
nutrients and therefore, increase yield.

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History of Green Revolution in India

M.S. Swaminathan,

Born: 7 August 1925 (age 94 years), Kumbakonam

The Green Revolution started in 1965 with the first introduction of High
Yielding Variety (HYV) seeds in Indian agriculture. This was coupled with
better and efficient irrigation and the correct use of fertilizers to boost the crop.
The end result of the Green Revolution was to make India self-sufficient when
it came to food grains.

After 1947 India had to rebuild its economy. Over three-quarters of

the population depended on agriculture in some way. But agriculture in India
was faced with several problems. Firstly, the productivity of grains was very
low. And India was still monsoon dependent because of lack of irrigation and
other infrastructure.

There was also an absence of modern technology . And India had previously
faced severe famines during the British Raj, who had only promoted cash crops
instead of food crops. The idea was to never depend on any other country for
food sufficiency.

So in 1965, the government with the help of Indian geneticists M.S.

Swaminathan, known as the father of Green Revolution, launched the Green
Revolution. The movement lasted from 1967 to 1978 and was a great success.

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Features of the Green Revolution

 The introduction of the HYV seeds for the first time in Indian agriculture.
These seeds had more success with the wheat crop and were highly effective
in regions that had proper irrigation. So the first stage of the Green
Revolution was focused on states with better infra – like Punjab and Tamil
Nadu.
 During the second phase, the HYV seeds were given to several other states.
And other crops than wheat were also included into the plan
 One basic requirement for the HYV seeds is proper irrigation. Crops from
HYV seeds need alternating amounts of water supply during its growth. So
the farms cannot depend on monsoons. The Green Revolution vastly
improved the inland irrigation systems around farms in India.
 The emphasis of the plan was mostly on food grains such as wheat and rice.
Cash crops and commercial crops like cotton, jute, oilseeds etc were not a
part of the plan
 Increased availability and use of fertilizers to enhance the productivity of the
farms
 Use of pesticides and weedicides to reduce any loss or damage to the crops
 And finally the introduction of technology and machinery like tractors,
harvesters, drills etc. This helped immensely to promote commercial farming
in the country.

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Market Surplus

The Green Revolution by and far was a success. But now there was another aspect
to it. The government had to ensure that the benefit of the higher productivity was
passed on to the general public. If the farmers kept the grains for themselves then
the benefit of the higher productivity would be lost.

But thankfully this did not happen. Due to the high yield and productivity of the
farms, the farmers started selling their produce in the markets. The portion of the
produce which is sold by them is known as market surplus.

And so the higher output caused due to the Green Revolution started benefiting
the economy. There was a decline in the prices of grains and such food products.
The common man was able to easily afford to buy them. The government was
even able to stock grains and build a food bank in case of future food shortages.

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Impact of the Green Revolution

Increase in Agricultural Production:

•Foodgrains in India saw a great rise in output. It was a remarkable
increase. The biggest beneficiary of the plan was the Wheat Grain.
The production of wheat increased to 55 million tonnes in 1990 from
just 11 million tonnes in 1960.

increase in per Acre Yield:

•Not only did the Green Revolution increase the total agricultural output,
it also increased the per hectare yield. In case of wheat, the per hectare
yield increased from 850 kg/hectare to an incredible 2281 kg/hectare by
1990.

Less Dependence on Imports:

•After the green revolution, India was finally on its way to self-sufficiency.
There was now enough production for the population and to build a stock
in case of emergencies. We did not need to import grains or depend on
other countries for our food supply. In fact, India was able to start
exporting its agricultural produce.

Employment:
• It was feared that commercial farming would leave a lot of the labour
force jobless. But on the other hand, we saw a rise in rural employment.
This is because the supporting industries created employment
opportunities. Irrigation, transportation, food processing, marketing all
created new jobs for the workforce.

A Benefit to the Farmers:

•The Green Revolution majorly benefited the farmers. Their income saw a
significant raise. Not only were they surviving, they were prospering. It
enabled them to shift to commercial farming from only sustenance
farming.

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ADVANTAGES OF GREEN REVOLUTION
1. Agricultural operations of a massive scale.

2. Higher yield

3. Plants have become resistant to pests and herbicides.

4. The need to fallow lands is eliminated.

5. Automation in the process of farming.

6. Ability to grow any crop virtually anywhere.

7. More profitable farming industry.

DISADVANTAGES OF GREEN REVOLUTION

1. Mono-Culturing.

2. Probability of Weeds and Pests to Develop Hazards.

3. Compromise to Crop Health.

4. Sterile Seeds.

5. Varied Soil Type by Location.

6. High Cost.

7. Shortage of Supply.

8. Environmental Harm.
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Green revolution vs. traditional agriculture
o Green revolution introduced High Yielding Crop Varieties (HYCVs) to
India
• HYCVs required constant input of agrochemicals (pesticides etc.)
and fertilizers
• New irrigation techniques were implemented
• HYCV seeds and agrochemicals needed to be obtained from NGOs
or from large distributors
• Created difficult environment for small farmers
• Seed had traditionally been harvested yearly from the field, now
farming required lots of inputs

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The Ecological Consequences
o Problems with soil fertility
• Micronutrient issues
• Increased dependence of external applications of fertilizer
• Water quality issues
• Ecological degradation caused returns to decrease at the years went
on Loss of diversity
• Improper application of pesticides caused poisoning

The Social and Political Consequences

• Changed the nature of agriculture, from internal to external inputs
(buying seed, fertilizer etc).
• The commercialization of relationships and subsequent cultural
erosion.
• The rapid increase in grain in the first several years drove down the
price of food, harder for small farmers to make a profit.
• It increased competition for smaller resources, rural inequality.
• Seed and chemical distribution was controlled by the Indian
government, the top-down approach created tensions in the state.
• Decreasing return on investments caused many farmers to blame
government.
• Increased ethnic and religious tensions.
• Feelings of resentment among farmers.
• Farm riots.

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Crisis in Punjab
• Punjab region once known as India's “bread basket”.
• Inhabited by Sikh minority.
• Tensions between state and central Indian government over control
of agricultural economics.
• Increased ethnic/religious tensions.
• Call for formation of independent Sikh state.

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Crisis in Punjab

Cultural issues: -
commercialization of
relationships
-cultural erosion
Nature of green Economic & Political
revolution: - -homogenized ethnic
tensions: -
identities
conflict over resources sharing of power
-class conflict between state and
-pauperization central government
-declines of -top down regulations
profitability - Feelings of weakness
-environmental from local and state
degradation government
Crisis in
Punjab
-violence
–resentment

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Limitations of the Green Revolution:
In spite of several achievements, the green revolution has several
defects:

(i) More inequality among farmers (Inter-personal inequalities):

The new technology requires a huge amount of investment which can be only,
afforded by the big farmers. Hence, these farmers are getting the absolute
benefits of the green revolution and became comparatively more rich than
farmers. This increases inequality in rural India

(ii) Regional inequality:

Benefits of the new technology remained concentrated in wheat growing area
since green revolution remained limited to wheat for a number of years. These
were thy regions of Punjab, Haryana and Western Uttar Pradesh. On account of
the above reasons new agricultural strategy has led to an increase in regional
inequalities.

(iii) The Question of Labour Absorption:

There is a general consensus that the adoption of new technology had reduced
labour absorption in agriculture. The uneven regional growth was mainly
responsible for the low absorption of labour within agriculture. The growth of
output was also slow to generate adequate employment opportunities. The
sudden rise in the demand for labour in these areas induced mechanisation and
labour-saving practices in general.

(iv) Undesirable Social Consequences:

Some micro level socio-economic studies of green revolution areas have
revealed certain undesirable social consequences of the green revolution. Many
large farmers have evicted tenants as they now find it more profitable to
cultivate land themselves.

Thus, a large number of tenants and share-croppers have lost their lands and
have been forced to join the ranks of agricultural labourers. Wetlands have also
attracted outsiders (non-agriculturists from nearby towns to invest capital in
buying farms.

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(v) Health Hazards:
The health hazards of the new technology can also not be lost sight of.
Increased mechanization that has accompanied the modernisation of farm
technology in green revolution areas carries with it the risk of incapitation due
to accidents. The attitude of the Government towards the problems of treatment
and rehabilitation of victims of accidents on farm machines is that of total
ambivalence. Meagre compensation is provided to victims.

(vi) Change in Attitudes:

A healthy contribution of green revolution is the change in the attitudes of
fanners in areas where the new agricultural strategy was practised. Increase in
productivity in these areas has enhanced the status of agriculture from a low
level subsistence activity to a money- making activity. The desire for better
farming methods and better standard of living is growing up.

 Achievements of New Green Revolution in India

Following are the achievements of Green Revolution:

(i) Increase in Per Hectare Productivity:
Per hectare productivity of all crops e.g. wheat, rice, cotton, gram, maize and
bajra has increased. It is due to better seeds.Chemical fertilizers, irrigation and
mechanization of agriculture.

(ii) Development of Industries:

Green Revolution has positive effect on development of Industries.
Industries manufacturing agricultural tools like tractors, diesel engines,
combines, threshers and pumping sets have been installed. International
Tractors Ltd. ‘Sonalika’, Standard Tractors Ltd. are some example.

(iii) Prosperity to Farmers:

Green Revolution has brought prosperity to Farmers. Agriculture is regarded as
a profitable occupation. Demand for consumer goods in Punjab has increased.
Standard of living has gone up in Punjab.

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(iv) Effect on Consumers:
Green revolution has brought prosperity to rural masses. Bumper crops have
generated employment opportunities for rural masses. Their standard of living
has developed.

(v) Increase in Production:

The main achievement of Green revolution is increase in production. In 1965-66
production of food grains was 33.89 lakh tonnes. In 1980-81 the output became
119 lakh tonnes.

(vi) Effect on Rural Employment:

Due to multiple cropping and excessive uses of chemical fertilizers, the demand
for labour increased. At sowing and harvesting time, acute shortage of labour is
experienced. So green revolution has generated employment.

(vii) Ploughing Back of Profits:

The another positive effect of Green Revolution is the ploughing back of
increased profits in agriculture. A study conducted by PAU Ludhiana revealed
that a farmer reinvests 55% of his family income in the development of his
fields, 49% in short period investment and 6% in long term investment in land
improvement and agriculture implements.

(viii) Changes in Thinking:

Green Revolution has changed the thinking of rural folk. The farmer has
adopted new techniques of agriculture and they participate in Kisan melas
organised by PAU Ludhiana and gather new knowledge and apply it in
agriculture.

(ix) Capitalistic Farming:

Financial resources are needed for taking full advantage of green revolution.
Financial resources are provided by Banks and co-operative societies. These
provide loans to farmer on easy terms.

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CONCLUSION:-
Green Revolution’s primary goal is to eliminate hunger worldwide, but there are
still people who are suffering from starvation, where most of them are women
and children. So, it is very important to have a clear and better understanding
when it comes to resolving such a problem. In order to eliminate it, more food
must be produced. According to research, there is enough food supply to feed
everyone, and the government is exerting full effort to sustain such need.
Traditional farming is still used, especially among small farmers, who cannot
afford Green Revolution.

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