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The Green Revolution in India, initiated in the 1960s, aimed to address food insecurity and malnutrition by introducing high-yielding crop varieties and modern agricultural practices. While it significantly increased food production and reduced reliance on imports, it also resulted in a loss of crop diversity, soil degradation, and rising production costs for farmers. A shift towards sustainable agriculture and the revival of traditional practices is now necessary to ensure long-term food security and nutritional health.

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Saptarshee Ganguly
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0 views3 pages

Green_Revolution_Detailed_Extract-1

The Green Revolution in India, initiated in the 1960s, aimed to address food insecurity and malnutrition by introducing high-yielding crop varieties and modern agricultural practices. While it significantly increased food production and reduced reliance on imports, it also resulted in a loss of crop diversity, soil degradation, and rising production costs for farmers. A shift towards sustainable agriculture and the revival of traditional practices is now necessary to ensure long-term food security and nutritional health.

Uploaded by

Saptarshee Ganguly
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Green Revolution: Detailed Analysis

Introduction

India, with 157.35 million hectares of land under cultivation, ranks second in global agricultural land

holdings. Despite becoming self-sufficient in food production, India continues to face critical

nutritional challenges. Agriculture employs 58% of rural households, yet the sector's historical

underperformance posed a significant threat of famine in the early decades post-independence. The

Green Revolution was a strategic response in the 1960s to address the severe food insecurity, poor

productivity, and malnutrition. The initiative aimed to revolutionize agricultural practices by

increasing crop yields, ensuring national food security, and reducing reliance on foreign aid. While

the food grain output improved significantly, India still struggles with alarming statistics: over 195.9

million undernourished people, 58.4% of children under five suffering from anemia, and substantial

gender-specific malnutrition ratios. These challenges reveal that while quantity increased, food

quality and diversity suffered.

What is Green Revolution?

The Green Revolution is a term coined in 1968 by William S. Gaud of USAID to describe a

transformative period between the 1940s and 1960s when developing countries began adopting

new agricultural technologies. The core objective was to significantly boost food production through

modern scientific interventions. Central to this revolution were high-yielding varieties (HYVs) of

crops, especially wheat and rice. These HYVs were genetically enhanced for better productivity,

resilience to fertilizers, and quicker maturity. Rice varieties like IR-8 and IR-72 were cultivated in

India; IR-8 matured in 130 days and IR-72 in just 100 days compared to traditional varieties taking

150-180 days. These crops were less sensitive to light cycles (photo-insensitive), enabling

year-round farming. The initiative also benefited from international research bodies like IRRI

(Philippines) and CIMMYT (Mexico), and was supported by donor agencies such as the Rockefeller

and Ford Foundations.


Components of the Green Revolution

- Introduction of genetically improved high-yielding varieties (HYVs) of wheat and rice.

- Use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides to stimulate plant growth and prevent crop loss.

- Expansion of irrigation facilities and controlled water supply mechanisms.

- Adoption of farm mechanization: tractors, threshers, and pump sets.

- Policy support from government institutions (ICAR, Ministry of Agriculture) and international

agencies (USAID, IRRI, CIMMYT).

- Crop management improvements: short cropping cycles, increased cropping intensity (2-3 crops

per year).

- Integration of scientific technologies with traditional practices, transforming Indian agriculture from

subsistence-based to productivity-focused.

- Training and education of farmers to adopt and implement these new technologies efficiently.

Causes of the Green Revolution

- Severe food shortages and threat of famine post-independence.

- Dependence on subsidized food imports, especially from the USA.

- Lack of technological progress in Indian agriculture-continued use of traditional tools like wooden

ploughs, waterwheels, and bullock carts.

- Pressure from the growing population which increased food demand.

- Economic strain due to low agricultural productivity negatively affecting industrial growth.

- Involvement and encouragement from international donors (Rockefeller Foundation, USAID, etc.)

and research agencies to modernize agriculture.

- The vision of political leaders to move towards food self-sufficiency and economic independence.

Benefits

- Food grain production in India doubled between 1960 and 1985.

- Wheat production rose from 50 million tonnes in 1950 to 95.1 million tonnes in 1968.
- Reduced dependence on food imports and increased national food security.

- Enabled year-round cultivation, boosting farmer incomes and employment.

- Contributed to rural infrastructure development and farm mechanization.

- Helped avert the predicted Malthusian crisis of mass starvation.

- Enhanced institutional capacity through the development of ICAR and state agricultural

universities.

- Provided India with political autonomy in food policy due to reduced dependency on international

aid.

Conclusion

While the Green Revolution successfully mitigated the threat of famine and made India self-sufficient

in staple crops, it led to a significant loss in crop diversity. Over 1 lakh traditional rice varieties were

lost due to focus on hybrid monocultures. Soil degradation from overuse of fertilizers, depletion of

groundwater, and declining nutritional intake are key side effects. Farmers faced increased

production costs, leading to debt and distress, particularly among smallholders. A holistic approach

is now needed-focusing on sustainable agriculture, reviving indigenous crops, conserving

biodiversity, and ensuring nutritional security. Future agricultural strategies must integrate traditional

wisdom with modern innovations to create resilient food systems.

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