Green Revolution

The Green Revolution, or Third Agricultural Revolution, is a set of research and

technology transfer initiatives occurring between 1950 and the late 1960s that increased
agricultural production worldwide, particularly in the developing world, beginning most
markedly in the late 1960s.
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, deterred 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.

Benefits of the Green Revolution

As a result of the Green Revolution and the introduction of chemical fertilizers, synthetic
herbicides and pesticides, high-yield crops, and the method of multiple cropping, the
agricultural industry was able to produce much larger quantities of food. This increase in
productivity made it possible to feed the growing human population.
One person who is famous for his involvement in the Green Revolution is the scientist
Norman Borlaug. In the 1940s, Norman Borlaug developed a strain of wheat that could
resist diseases, was short, which reduced damage by wind, and could produce large seed
heads and high yields. He introduced this variety of wheat in Mexico and within twenty
years the production of wheat had tripled. This allowed for the production of more food
for people in Mexico and also made it possible for Mexico to export their wheat and sell
it in other countries. Norman Borlaug helped introduce this high-yield variety of wheat
to other countries in need of increased food production, and he eventually won a Nobel
Peace Prize for his work with developing high-yield crops and for helping prevent
starvation in many developing countries.

The Green Revolution ----- Sub-continent

The world's worst recorded food disaster occurred in 1943 in British-ruled India. Known
as the Bengal Famine, an estimated 4 million people died of hunger that year in eastern
India (which included today's Bangladesh). Initially, this catastrophe was attributed to
an acute shortfall in food production in the area. However, Indian economist Amartya Sen
(recipient of the Nobel Prize for Economics, 1998) has established that while food
shortage was a contributor to the problem, a more potent factor was the result of hysteria
related to World War II, which made food supply a low priority for the British rulers.
When the British left India in 1947, India continued to be haunted by memories of the
Bengal Famine. It was therefore natural that food security was one of the main items on
free India's agenda. This awareness led, on one hand, to the Green Revolution in India
and, on the other, legislative measures to ensure that businessmen would never again be
able to hoard food for reasons of profit.

The Green Revolution, spreading over the period from1967/68 to 1977/78, changed
India’s status from a food-deficient country to one of the world's leading agricultural
nations. Until 1967 the government largely concentrated on expanding the farming areas.
But the population was growing at a much faster rate than food production. This called
for an immediate and drastic action to increase yield. The action came in the form of the
Green Revolution. The term ‘Green Revolution’ is a general one that is applied to
successful agricultural experiments in many developing countries. India is one of the
countries where it was most successful.

There were three basic elements in the method of the Green Revolution

Continuing expansion of farming areas

Double-cropping in the existing farmland
Using seeds with improved genetics.

The area of land under cultivation was being increased from 1947 itself. But this was not
enough to meet the rising demand. Though other methods were required, the expansion
of cultivable land also had to continue. So, the Green Revolution continued with this
quantitative expansion of farmlands.

Double cropping was a primary feature of the Green Revolution. Instead of one crop
season per year, the decision was made to have two crop seasons per year. The one-
season-per-year practice was based on the fact that there is only one rainy season
annually. Water for the second phase now came from huge irrigation projects. Dams were
built and other simple irrigation techniques were also adopted.

Using seeds with superior genetics was the scientific aspect of the Green Revolution. The
Indian Council for Agricultural Research (which was established by the British in 1929)
was reorganized in 1965 and then again in 1973. It developed new strains of high yield
variety seeds, mainly wheat and rice and also millet and corn.

The Green Revolution was a technology package comprising material components of

improved high yielding varieties of two staple cereals (rice and wheat), irrigation or
controlled water supply and improved moisture utilization, fertilizers, and pesticides,
and associated management skills.

Benefits

Thanks to the new seeds, tens of millions of extra tonnes of grain a year are being
harvested.

The Green Revolution resulted in a record grain output of 131 million tonnes in 1978/79.
This established India as one of the world's biggest agricultural producers. Yield per unit
of farmland improved by more than 30% between1947 (when India gained political
independence) and 1979. The crop area under high yielding varieties of wheat and rice
grew considerably during the Green Revolution.

The Green Revolution also created plenty of jobs not only for agricultural workers but
also industrial workers by the creation of related facilities such as factories and
hydroelectric power stations.

Shortcomings

In spite of this, India's agricultural output sometimes falls short of demand even today.
India has failed to extend the concept of high yield value seeds to all crops or all regions.
In terms of crops, it remains largely confined to foodgrains only, not to all kinds of
agricultural produce.

In regional terms, only the states of Punjab and Haryana

showed the best results of the Green Revolution. The
eastern plains of the River Ganges in West Bengal also
showed reasonably good results. But results were less
impressive in other parts of India.

The Green Revolution has created some problems mainly

to adverse impacts on the environment. The increasing use
of agrochemical-based pest and weed control in some
crops has affected the surrounding environment as well as human health. Increase in the
area under irrigation has led to rise in the salinity of the land. Although high yielding
varieties had their plus points, it has led to significant genetic erosion.

Since the beginning of agriculture, people have been working to improving seed quality
and variety. But the term ‘Green Revolution’ was coined in the 1960s after improved
varieties of wheat dramatically increased yields in test plots in northwest Mexico. The
reason why these ‘modern varieties’ produced more than traditional varieties was that
they were more responsive to controlled irrigation and to petrochemical fertilizers. With
a big boost from the international agricultural research centres created by the Rockefeller
and Ford Foundations, the ‘miracle’ seeds quickly spread to Asia, and soon new strains of
rice and corn were developed as well.

By the 1970s the new seeds, accompanied by chemical fertilizers, pesticides, and, for the
most part, irrigation, had replaced the traditional farming practices of millions of farmers
in developing countries. By the 1990s, almost 75% of the area under rice cultivation in
Aisa was growing these new varieties. The same was true for almost half of the wheat
planted in Africa and more than half of that in Latin America and Asia, and more than 50%
of the world's corn as well. Overall, a very large percentage of farmers in the developing
world were using Green Revolution seeds, with the greatest use found in Asia, followed
by Latin America