Introduction
The Green Revolution in India was a period when agriculture
in India increased its yields due to improved agronomic technology. It allowed
developing countries, like India, to overcome chronic food defects. It started
in India in the early 1960s and led to an increase in food production,
especially in Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh during the early phase. The
main development was higher-yielding varieties of wheat, which were developed
by many scientists, including American agronomist Dr. Norman Borlaug, Indian
geneticist M. S. Swaminathan, and others. The Indian Agricultural Research
Institute also claims credit for enabling the Green Revolution,[1] in part by
developing rust resistant strains of wheat.
The introduction of high-yielding varieties of seeds (hybrid
seeds) and the increased use of chemical fertilizers and irrigation led to the
increase in production needed to make the country self-sufficient in food
grains, thus improving agriculture in India.[3] The methods adopted included
the use of high-yielding varieties (HYVs) of seeds with modern farming methods.
The production of wheat has produced the best results in
fueling self-sufficiency of India. Along with high-yielding seeds and
irrigation facilities, the enthusiasm of farmers mobilised the idea of
agricultural revolution. Due to the rise in use of chemical pesticides and
fertilizers there were negative effects on the soil and the land such as land
degradation.
Measures adopted
• Use of
high yielding varieties (HYVs) of seeds or hybrid seeds
• Expansion
of irrigation infrastructure
• Use of
insecticides
• Use of
pesticides
• Consolidation
of holdings
• Land
reforms
• Improved
rural infrastructure
• Supply of
agricultural credit
• Use of
chemical or synthetic fertilizers
• Use of
sprinklers or drip irrigation
• Use of
advanced machinery
• Use of vector
quantity
Problems that were
addressed
Low irrigation
The well irrigated and permanently irrigated area was only
17% in 1951. The majority of the area was dependent on rainfall and,
consequently, agriculture suffered from low level of production.
The green revolution was possible due to adequate water
supply through irrigation. The government undertook a number of minor, major
and multipurpose irrigation projects to supply sufficient water to cultivable
lands so that the dependence of farmers on rainfall reduced to great extents.
The government also made provisions for digging canals, hand pumps, etc., for
adequate and increased water supply.
Going forward, the government should create enabling
mechanisms to fuel the growth in quality seed production. Public sector
spending on irrigation, rural infrastructure (storage, post-harvest and
connectivity) and credit availability are key inventions which will encourage
farmers to invest in newer technologies as their returns would be better.
Frequent famines
Famines in India were very frequent during the period 1940s
to 1970s. Due to faulty distribution of food, and because farmers did not
receive the true value for their labour, the majority of the population did not
get enough food. Malnutrition and starvation
was a huge problem.
Lack of finance
Small and marginal farmers found it very difficult to get
finance and credit at economical rate from the government and banks, hence,
fell as easy prey to the money lenders. They took loans from zamindars,who charged
high rates of interests and also exploited the farmers later on to work in
their fields to repay the loans (farm labourers) .
Lack of
self-sufficiency
Due to traditional agricultural practices, low productivity,
and a growing population, often food grains were imported — draining scarce
foreign reserves. It was thought that with the increased production due to the
Green Revolution, the government could maintain buffer stock and India can
achieve self-sufficiency and self-reliability.
Agriculture was basically for subsistence and, therefore,
less agricultural product was offered for sale in the market. Hence, the need
was felt to encourage the farmers to increase their production and offer a
greater portion of their products for sale in the market. The new methods in
agriculture increased the yield of rice and wheat, which reduced India's
dependence on food imports.
49% of people in India are employed in agriculture.
Criticisms
Indian Economic
Sovereignty
A main criticism of the effects of the green revolution is
the cost for many small farmers using HYV seeds, with their associated demands
of increased irrigation systems and pesticides. A case study is found in India,
where farmers are buying Monsanto BT cotton seeds—sold on the idea that these
seeds produced 'natural insecticides'. In reality, they need to still pay for
expensive pesticides and irrigation systems, needing to borrow from money
lenders to finance their expensive change from traditional seed varieties. Many
farmers are not able to pay for the expensive technologies, and especially if
they have a bad harvest, they cannot pay back their debts, and many have
committed suicide (600-700 a year in 2006/2007). This can allow larger farms,
even foreign owned farming operations, to buy up the local small farms.
Vandana Shiva notes that this is the "second Green
Revolution". The first Green Revolution, she notes, was mostly
publicly-funded (by the Indian Government). This new Green Revolution, she
says, is driven by private [and foreign] interest - notably MNCs like Monsanto.
Ultimately, this is leading to foreign ownership over most of India's farmland.
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