GREEN REVOLUTION

BECOMES
EVERGREEN
By:
• “The ambition of the Greatest man of our
generation Mahatma Gandhi has been to wipe
every tear from every eye. That may be beyond
us, but as long as there are tears and suffering,
so long our work will not be over.”
–
Jawaharlal Nehru in his famous speech on
India’s “Tryst with Destiny.”
 GREEN REVOLUTION
- Green revolution refers to the Transformation
of Agriculture through application of dwarf
hybrid varieties of seeds, modern technology
and improved agricultural practices along with
better management of available resources.
- This term is given by William S. Gaud
GREEN REVOLUTION
 Historical Aspects - Global:

– Agriculture Movement in Mexico – 1944

– Plant breeding station in Mexico - Rockefeller foundation

and Mexican government
– Self sufficiency in food-grains within 12 years (1944-1956)

– Exporter of food-grains within 8 years (1956-1964)

 Indian Historical Aspects:
Pre-Independence ERA:
• The Britishers only had commercial interest in India. As cash crops
would generate more of revenue taxes for them they encouraged
the farmers to cultivate cash crops like Cotton, Jute etc. The poor
farmers could not rationalize the after effects of such changes in
crop cultivation pattern and converted their lands to cash crops.
• This led to poor production, supply and higher prices of food
grains.
• The world's worst recorded food disaster in 1943 in British-ruled
India.
 Indian Historical Aspects: (Contd…)

• The Bengal Famine - About four million people died of hunger that
year alone in eastern India (included Bangladesh).
• Paddy crop – “Blast of Rice”

• 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.
• Hoarding by Indian Traders.
AASHAYEIN..
 Post - Independence ERA:
• Food security was a paramount item on free India's agenda.
• Between 1947 and 1967, efforts at achieving food self-sufficiency were
not entirely successful.
• Efforts until 1967 largely concentrated on expanding the farming areas.
• In the year 1965-66 and 1966-67, drought over a vast area had
accentuated the food insufficiency situation.
• Population was growing at a much faster rate than food production. This
called for drastic action to increase yield.
• This awareness of food security 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 action came in the form of the Green Revolution
 SITUATION AROUND 1965
 Food grain production was insufficient to meet the demands of
exponentially growing population.
 Efforts were restricted to expanding the farm area.

1951-1955 1956-1960 1961-1965

FOOD GRAIN 5.3 3.9 -2

NON FOOD
2.1 5.1 0.9
GRAIN

ALL CROPS 4.3 4.3 -1

 FACTORS WHICH LED TO GREEN
REVOLUTION
 BITTER EXPEREINCES UNDER THE PL 480 SCHEME
The PL 480 scheme allowed India to import wheat from the U.S. Due to some
internal reasons the states decided not to export wheat. This restriction at a
critical time opened the eyes of Indian govt. They realized that it can no
longer depend on foreign supplies for its domestic food consumption .

 NEGATIVE GROWTH RATE IN AGRICULTURAL SECTOR

The first five year plan emphasized the importance of agriculture leading to
increased productivity but by third five year plan the crop production dropped
drastically .

 SPIRALLING POPULATION GROWTH RATE

There were huge disparities between the rate at which food production and
population were increasing. In order to feed the people the food production
had to be increased substantially.
BASIC METHODS IN GREEN REVOLUTION
 CONTINUED EXPANSION OF FARMING AREA
Agricultural practices were extended to new areas . This added to the
total productivity of food grain .

 DOUBLE CROPING EXISTING FARM LAND

This was primary feature of the green revolution. It ensured at least two
crops per year from a farm land. This became possible because of better
irrigation facilities.

 USING SEEDS WITH IMPROVED GENETICS

It dealt with the scientific aspects of the Green Revolution. ICAR came
up with a high yielding variety of wheat-K68. This led to an increased
productivity. The technique was also followed in the case of rice, corn
and millet.
 SOCIAL IMPACTS
1.INCREASED EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY
It led to increase in employment opportunity not only in agriculture sector but also in industrial
sector. The growth of factories like tractor, pesticides, fertilizers etc has lead to increase in
employment and their income level.

2.IMPROVED INCOME LEVEL OF PEOPLE

The green revolution has led to increase in agriculture production with higher productivity. This
has lead to increase in level of income, vertical movement of people in society . Many middle
level farmer were able to change their class hierarchy and reached the upper strata in the society

3.IMPROVED STANDARDS OF LIVING

India became self reliant in food production. Food was available to common masses

4 .BENEFIT TO CONSUMER
With increase in food productivity food grains were available to common mass at reasonable price.

.
 ECONOMIC IMPACT
1.INCREASE IN PRODUCTION
It was during the period of the green revolution that India achieved food security on
the national level at least in terms of total quantity of food grains production.

2. INDUSTRIAL GROWTH AND INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT

Green revolution has led to the symbiotic relationship between a number of
industries and farming sector as they provide input and output to each other. This led
to a spurt in industrial growth in India.

3.IMPROVED CREDIT WORTHINESS

Due to higher production and increase in the national income of the country, India was
able to pay back loans it had taken from world bank and its affiliates for the green
revolution. This improved India's credit worthiness in the eyes of lending agencies.
 NEGATIVE ECONOMIC IMPACTS

1. SKEWED CROPPING PATTERN AND PRODUCTION (FROM

1967-68 TO 1992-1993)

GROWTH RATE GROWTH RATE

OF AREA GROWTH RATES
CROPS OF PRODUCTION
YEILD (%)
(%) (%)

GRAM -0.82 -0.48 0.33

RICE 0.57 2.83 2.88

WHEAT 1.66 4.88 3.16

SMALL MILLETS -3.23 -2.63 -0.62

 INTER STATE REGIONAL DISPARITY
STATE WISE PER YEILD OF FOOD GRAIN (kg/ha)
REGIONAL / STATE 1970-1973 1980-1983 1992-1995
TAMILNADU 1352 1391 2100
HARYANA 1137 1553 2647
PUNJAB 1936 2651 3627
U.P 950 1248 1843
ASSAM 987 1010 1287
BIHAR 882 901 1347
ORISSA 813 798 1193
ALL INDIA 848 1030 1503
 POLITICAL IMPACT
IN THE INTERNATIONAL FORA
Green revolution revolutionalized food crop production and helped India
attain food security for its entire population. This elevated India’s position in
the international community as a developing country from that of an under
developed country.
ON NATIONAL LEVEL:
The govt, which was in power at the time of the green revolution, Took the
right initiative to attain food security and ensuring food for deprived
population of the country. These initiatives enjoyed wide support from the
masses and thereby gave the ruling party considerable political mileage.
AT THE LOCAL LEVEL
The political equation at the local level changed after the emergence of the
middle class facilitated by the achievements of food security and self
sufficiency. The ruling party enjoyed the vote bank over a long period of time.
 Why was it possible?
• 1. Dwarf gene: It helped the plant to divert most of its photosynthatic to
reproductive part as compared to vegetative part. Old variety grain
would have received 20% with these hybrids, now reproductive part
received about 45-50%
• 2. Green revolution varieties were insensitive to day length so could be
grown in varied agro climatic condition
• 3. Responsiveness to fertilizer application & water: New variety
discovered had nearly exponential relationship with dose of fertilizer &
water applied .
• 4. Lots of irrigation project started around that time in part of Punjab &
western UP.
• 5. Lots of land was still to be brought under cultivation.
 Why its not possible now ?
• 1. Photosynthetic constrain - plant like engines also have threshold
point called as biological limit beyond which they can not be
increased.
• 2. Blackman law of limiting factor –providing all input the thing
which is limited become limiting factor .
• 3.Land which is one of the most important factor in agriculture is a
limiting resource i.e. you can not extend it infinitely.
• 4.We have almost exhausted all genetic diversity we had in past
only few things are left as far as conventional breeding methods are
concerned.
 LIMITATIONS OF GREEN
REVOLUTION
- India has failed to extend the concept of high
yielding variety seeds to all crops
- It was confined to rice and wheat only.
- In regional terms it had shown best results
in Punjab & Haryana and some parts of
West Bengal, only.
 PUNJAB AGRARIAN CRISIS
• Rampant & widespread debt among farmers
due to shrinking markets, stagnating state set
support prices and increasing production cost
• Social inequalities exacerbated by the
exclusion policies of Green revolution
• Ecological break down in both soil and water
system
• Even today there are places like Kalahandi (Orissa)
where famine like conditions have been existing for
many years & where starvation deaths have been
reported.
• In 1978 & 1987 India faced severe drought due to
poor monsoon.
• Even today India’s agricultural production falls short
of its demand.
• We have imported sugar and onion in the past.
 DIMINISHED CROP DIVERSITY
. Indian farmers have planted 30,000 different
varieties of rice over past 50 years ; with the
varieties closely matched to soil and climate.
. Plant responses to many stresses both biotic &
abiotic are partly under genetic control .The
flexibility in response to these stresses is
increased when there is relatively more genetic
diversity.
-Green revolution resulted in planting fewer
varieties of crops only high yielding varieties.
HYVs have high degree of genetic uniformity.
-Over the long term, increasing reliance on a
relatively few varieties leads to loss of well
adapted genetically variable varieties through
lack of use.
 DRAWBACKS OF EXCESS USE OF
CHEMICAL FERTILIZERS
 Lower water holding capacity of soil.
 Decrease aeration as the soil losses the
structure given by organic material
 Poorly aerated soils are less suitable for
beneficial organisms & worsen the efficiency
of plant roots to take up nutrients. High inputs
of nitrogen fertilizer result in soil acidification.
 NEGATIVE EFFECTS OF USE OF
PESTICIDES
• HYVs are more susceptible to diseases
• To overcome diseases farmers used pesticides.
• Pesticides such as organ phosphorous compounds are not
break down in the environment.Through food chain they
enter into the body and deposited in the soft tissues
• Pesticides are present in the blood of people of Punjab –
Sunita Narain.
• Pesticides were present in Coca-cola which causes cancer.
 The Crisis Now
With the mid term appraisal of the plan, (2005) and the
approach paper (2006), it is now official. The Finance
Minister is reported to have made a wise statement
saying that the economy is doing famously, but we don’t
know what to do to agriculture. Without a dynamic
agriculture, inclusive growth becomes a mirage. Things
become worse when it was suggested that:

1. India’s net sown area under crops has fallen drastically for
the first time;
2. Area under canal irrigation has fallen again for the first
time in history.
 Net Area Sown
• It was predicted at a constant of 141 million
hectares, but 2003 changed all that:
S.no. Year NAS (mn. ha.)
• 1. 1987/88 134.09
• 2. 1991/92 141.63
• 3. 1999/00 141.10
• 4. 2001/02 141.40
• 5. 2002/03 132.86
 Short Run growth Sources
• If the loss in area sown cannot be reserved soon
• And canal area is not going to rise,
• As also the plans for reversing the ground water crisis is going
to take time,
• Then growth has to emerge from
• Technology
• Non Land Inputs
• And Diversification
• And has to be operationalised at the level of India’s agro-
climatic resource regions.
 Policy

• Possibilities for widespread Rural Growth from diversification are

great
• But policy is a constraint
• India has done it in the past and can do it again
• International Institutions can:
- strengthen policies for strengthening small producer institutions
- local capabilities for infrastructure development, communication and
skill development
- CBOs and their role in local governance and economic structures
- research on macro policies for widespread agricultural development;
tariffs; financial instruments
 Second Green Revolution
• During the past decade, just as increasing affluence has led many
Indians to demand more and different varieties of food, the gains of the
Green Revolution have been slowing, so that today the Indian
population is growing faster than the country's ability to produce more
rice and wheat.
• The supply of arable land is second only to that of the United States,
but its agricultural output lags far behind its potential. As a result, the
government has had to turn to already stretched international markets,
putting further pressure on high global food prices.
• With the right technology and public policy, economists say, India
could help feed the world. Instead, it can barely feed itself.
 Second Green Revolution
• The country recently began what it calls a "food security
mission" designed to increase production of its staples -
wheat, rice and pulses, which include lentils and peas. Prime
Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh has called for what he termed
a Second Green Revolution "so that the specter of food
shortages is banished from the horizon once again.
• "Experts blame the agriculture slowdown on a variety of
factors. India has failed to expand irrigation or access to
loans for farmers, or to advance agricultural research.
Groundwater is being depleted at alarming rates, a problem
that climate change threatens to exacerbate.”
 Birth of a Third Green Revolution
• Corporate entry into agriculture could find an answer that has
been plaguing the farm sector for long-proper and affordable
price to farmers.
• Corporates know that the Indian agriculture sector is a potential
goldmine that has not been tapped till now.
• Many of these corporates are making a beeline to the farmer’s
doorstep for buying their produce, something which farmers
have never experienced so far.
• Reliance Fresh
• Bharti’s Field Fresh
• ITC’s Choupal Fresh
 Birth of a Third Green Revolution
• Cooperative movement
- the governmental cooperative movement which was started with
a similar idea of procuring, transporting and retailing the produce
has been a major disaster with red tape and political interferences
clogging its functioning.
• Supply Chain Management
- all these big companies at the moment paying detailed attention
to several aspects of the retail chain right from seed
distribution, fertilizer application, improving irrigation
technologies, facilitating credit, possessing and setting up cold
storage, transporting and finally selling the produce.
 The steps which need to be taken
• Identify in every state, the areas with a high untapped
agricultural potential both under irrigated and rainfed
conditions and develop them into Special Agricultural
Zones.

• Special Agricultural Zones should aim to bring about

small farm management revolution which can help to
improve the productivity, profitability and sustainability
of the major farming systems of the country.