- The Green Revolution, which commenced in the 1960s, marked a significant period in Indian agriculture, characterized by the modernization of the agricultural sector through technological advancements.
- This transformation involved the adoption of various technologies such as high-yielding variety (HYV) seeds, mechanized farm equipment, irrigation systems, pesticides, and fertilizers.
- It was part of the broader Green Revolution initiative pioneered by Norman E. Borlaug, aimed at leveraging agricultural science and technology to enhance agricultural productivity in developing countries.
- In India, this initiative was spearheaded by agricultural scientist M. S. Swaminathan.
OBJECTIVES
- Immediate Goals: The Green Revolution was initiated during the second Five Year Plan to tackle India’s famine crisis.
- Sustainable Development: One of the long-term objectives was the comprehensive modernization of agriculture, encompassing infrastructure, access to raw materials, industrial growth, and rural development.
- Employment Generation: The aim was to create employment opportunities for both agricultural and industrial sectors.
- Scientific Advancements: It sought to cultivate crops with increased resilience to diseases and adverse weather conditions through scientific research.
- Global Agricultural Advancement: The establishment of agricultural enterprises in key regions and the transfer of technologies aimed to globalize agricultural practices and support less-industrialized nations.
ITS COMPONENTS
High Yielding Variety (HYV) Seeds
- The introduction of High Yielding Variety (HYV) seeds stands out as perhaps the most pivotal aspect of the Indian Green Revolution, with all other inputs being intertwined with HYV seeds.
- Key features include enhanced responsiveness to chemical fertilizers and accelerated maturation, facilitating double cropping.
- Their compact stature enables efficient nutrient uptake, resistance to wind damage, and maximized photosynthesis due to their broad leaf surface.
Irrigation
- Following HYV seeds, irrigation emerges as the second most crucial component of Green Revolution technology.
- Consistent water supply is imperative for crop growth, ensuring both increased yields and production stability.
- Given the erratic and seasonal nature of Indian rainfall, expanding irrigation capacity becomes paramount to align with the Green Revolution strategy.
- Even regions with ample rainfall require irrigation to effectively implement HYV seeds.
- Success with HYV seeds hinges on timely access to adequate water, with groundwater assuming greater importance than surface water.
- Mechanized irrigation via pump sets or tube wells empowers farmers with convenient control over water distribution.
- However, over-exploitation poses a serious threat to groundwater reserves, notably witnessed in Punjab and Haryana.
Use of Chemical Fertilizers
- To realize high yields with HYV seeds, substantial irrigation and fertilizer application are indispensable.
- Further expansion of food grain production relies on multiple cropping, heavily reliant on the trio of essential inputs—HYV seeds, irrigation, and chemical fertilizers—given limited arable land availability.
- Government subsidies bridge the gap between fertilizer production costs and selling prices, with urea and P&K fertilizers enjoying cost advantages.
- The Green Revolution’s impact is pronounced in regions like Punjab, witnessing a nearly threefold rise in fertilizer consumption from 1971–72 to 1981–82.
USE OF INSECTICIDES AND PESTICIDES
- While the Green Revolution significantly boosted farm output through intensified irrigation and fertilizer usage, it concurrently led to pest proliferation, including insects, weeds, and rodents.
- Monocultures associated with the Green Revolution are more vulnerable to pest attacks.
- Effective pest management becomes imperative through judicious application of insecticides, pesticides, and weedicides to curb pest, weed, and disease infestations.
- Pest-related issues afflict over a million hectares of cultivated land annually, causing agricultural output losses ranging from 5 to 25%.
- The increased adoption of Green Revolution technologies correlates with escalated plant protection efforts, evident in the regional concentration of pesticide consumption, notably in Punjab, Haryana, Andhra Pradesh, and Tamil Nadu.
COMMAND AREA DEVELOPMENT
- Introduction of Program: The Command Area Development Programme, a centrally sponsored initiative, was launched in January 1975.
- Objective: The primary objective was to optimize agricultural production in irrigated areas by bridging the gap between potential development and actual utilization in selected major/medium irrigation projects across the country.
- Coverage: The program aimed to encompass 133 project commands, covering a total cultivable command area of 1.7 million hectares.
- Consolidation of Land Holdings
- Challenges: India’s agricultural development faced significant hurdles due to small and fragmented land holdings.
- Addressing the Issue: Land consolidation initiatives were introduced to address this challenge effectively.
- Land Reforms
- Need for Reforms: Land reform was imperative to bolster the nation’s agricultural landscape, necessitating prompt implementation.
- Previous Arrangements: Practices like tenancy-at-will, sharecropping, and absentee landlordism failed to incentivize farmers to adopt modern farming practices, exacerbating the agricultural scenario.
- Zamindari System: The Zamindari System, prevalent at independence, concentrated 80% of the land in the hands of absentee landlords, exploiting the farmers who tilled the land.
- Initiatives: “Land to the tiller” became a rallying cry post-independence, leading to efforts to abolish the Zamindari system and grant land ownership to tenants.
- Supply of Agricultural Credit
- Importance: Agricultural credit emerged as a cornerstone of all agricultural development programs.
- Dependency on Financing: Inputs such as technology, high-yielding variety seeds, fertilizers, pesticides, irrigation water, and machinery relied heavily on the availability of financing.
- Support for Small Farmers: Small and marginal farmers, constituting a significant portion of the farming populace, largely depended on agricultural finance due to financial constraints.
- Transition: The shift from borrowing at exorbitant rates from moneylenders to accessing loans from cooperatives, commercial banks, and regional rural banks under favorable terms facilitated agricultural operations.
- Rural Electrification
- Significance: Rural electrification emerged as a critical component of modern agricultural practices.
- Role of Electricity: Studies underscored the pivotal role of electricity in fostering agricultural growth, serving as an affordable energy source for various farm activities.
- Groundwater Development: Uninterrupted and affordable electricity supply became indispensable for groundwater development, a cornerstone of the Green Revolution.
- Rural Roads and Marketing
- Importance of Rural Roads: Accessible rural highways are essential for villagers to reach nearby markets and connect with neighboring communities.
- Role of Markets: Regulated markets provide farmers with a platform to sell their produce and procure agricultural inputs and household goods, fostering agricultural progress.
- Farm Mechanization
- Criticality: Farm mechanization played a pivotal role in the success of the Green Revolution.
- Efficiency and Productivity: Mechanization accelerated farm operations, reduced labor requirements, and enhanced farm output and efficiency.
- Agricultural Universities
- Research and Dissemination: Agricultural colleges and institutes focused on conducting research and disseminating findings to farmers.
- Positive Impact: Extensive research and extension efforts undertaken by agricultural universities significantly contributed to the progress of the agriculture sector.
- Examples: States like Punjab, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh serve as notable examples of the positive impact of agricultural universities on the success of the Green Revolution.
POSITIVE IMPACTS OF GREEN REVOLUTION
- Increased Grain Production: The introduction of high-yielding variety seeds resulted in tens of millions of additional tonnes of grain being harvested annually.
- Record Output: The Green Revolution yielded a record grain output of 131 million tonnes in 1978–1979, marking a significant increase in agricultural productivity.
- Global Recognition: India emerged as one of the leading agricultural producers globally, underscoring the success and impact of the Green Revolution on the country’s agricultural landscape.
- Improved Yield: Between 1947 and 1979, there was a notable increase of over 30% in yield per unit of agricultural land, indicating enhanced productivity and efficiency in farming practices.
- Job Creation: The Green Revolution not only bolstered agricultural production but also generated employment opportunities. The establishment of connected facilities such as factories and hydroelectric power plants created jobs for both industrial workers and agricultural laborers.
ITS NEGATIVE IMPACT
- Limited Implementation: India faced challenges in implementing the concept of high-yield variety seeds uniformly across all crops or geographical regions, leading to uneven outcomes.
- Focus on Food Grains: The Green Revolution primarily concentrated on improving the production of food grains, neglecting other types of agricultural products.
- Regional Disparities: While states like Punjab and Haryana showcased significant successes from the Green Revolution, outcomes in other regions, apart from the eastern lowlands of West Bengal, were less remarkable.
- Sociological, Economic, and Environmental Issues: Critics argue that the Green Revolution exacerbated sociological, economic, and environmental problems, including farmer suicides, rural indebtedness, and droughts.
- Soil Degradation: The extensive use of pesticides has deteriorated soil quality, leading to the failure of many agricultural systems across the country and adversely affecting farmers’ livelihoods, as well as food and water supplies.
- Income Disparity: The disparity in farmer income widened interpersonal and inter-regional inequalities in India, exacerbating social and economic disparities.
- Negative Environmental Effects: The Green Revolution contributed to adverse environmental effects such as an increase in malaria incidence due to waterlogging, imbalanced cropping patterns favoring wheat and rice over pulses, oilseeds, maize, and barley, among other negative consequences.
- Lack of Awareness and Action: Concerns raised by the media, scholars, experts, and environmentalists about the negative impacts of the Green Revolution were not adequately addressed by governments or the general public.
FAQs about the Green Revolution:
1. What is the Green Revolution?
A: The Green Revolution refers to a period in the 1960s characterized by the modernization of Indian agriculture through the adoption of various technologies aimed at boosting agricultural productivity.
2. Who initiated the Green Revolution in India?
A: The Green Revolution initiative was part of a broader global initiative pioneered by Norman E. Borlaug. In India, it was spearheaded by agricultural scientist M. S. Swaminathan.
3. What were the objectives of the Green Revolution?
A: The immediate goal was to address India’s famine crisis during the second Five Year Plan. Long-term objectives included comprehensive modernization of agriculture, employment generation, scientific advancements, and global agricultural advancement.
4. What were the key components of the Green Revolution?
A: Key components included the introduction of High Yielding Variety (HYV) seeds, irrigation infrastructure development, use of chemical fertilizers, insecticides, and pesticides, as well as initiatives like Command Area Development (CAD) and land reforms.
5. What positive impacts did the Green Revolution have?
A: The Green Revolution led to increased grain production, record grain output, global recognition of India as a leading agricultural producer, improved yield per unit of agricultural land, and job creation in both agricultural and industrial sectors.
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