The Green Revolution was an era in India’s history that began in the 1960s, during which high yielding variety (HYV) seeds, mechanised farm tools, irrigation systems, pesticides, and fertilisers were used to transform agriculture into a modern industrial system. This period, which was primarily directed by Indian agricultural scientist M. S. Swaminathan was part of Norman E. Borlaug’s bigger Green Revolution initiative, which used agricultural research and technology to boost agricultural output in underdeveloped countries.

The Green Revolution in India began in 1968, under the leadership of Congress leader Lal Bahadur Shastri, and resulted in a rise in food grain output, particularly in Punjab, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh. Environmental activists like Vandana Shiva, on the other hand, have studied the long-term repercussions of the green revolution, and believe that it has resulted in more environmental, financial, and sociological issues for the country, like droughts, rural debts, and farmer suicides. Farmers, the land, food, and water supplies have all suffered as a result of chemical use, according to reports. Agriculture systems in many areas collapsed as a result of this.

Environmental impact of the green revolution in India:

The Green Revolution is driven by intensification which saved new land from being converted to agriculture, which is a known source of greenhouse gas emissions and a driver of climate change and allowed marginal lands to be released from agricultural production and used for alternative ecosystem services like forest cover regeneration. The productivity gains were mostly due to HYVs that were more responsive to external inputs; yet, in many cases, adequate research and policies to promote the judicious use of inputs were largely missing. Water consumption, soil degradation, and chemical runoff have all had unintended outcomes that have had major environmental consequences beyond the cultivated areas. 

The environmental effects were not created by GR technology per se, but rather by a legislative environment that encouraged wasteful and excessive input consumption, as well as expansion of cultivation into places that couldn’t support high intensification levels, such as sloping fields. Farmers immediately adjusted their behaviour and adopted more sustainable practices where policy incentives were corrected. In Indonesia, for example, the withdrawal of pesticide subsidies in the early 1990s resulted in a significant reduction in insecticide use.

Impact of the green revolution in Indian economy:

The positive impact of the green revolution in India:

• Huge Increase in Crop Production: In 1978-79, India produced 131 million tonnes of grain, establishing India as one of the world’s largest agricultural producers. During the Green Revolution, the area under high-yielding wheat and rice varieties increased dramatically
• Reduced Food-Grain Imports: India became self-sufficient in food grains and had sufficient stock in the central pool, to the point that India was able to export food grains at times
• Farmer’s Benefits: The introduction of the Green Revolution assisted farmers in increasing their revenue. Farmers re-invested their extra revenue in order to boost agricultural output
• Industrialization: The Revolution ushered in large-scale farm mechanisation, resulting in a demand for tractors, harvesters, threshers, combines, diesel engines, electric motors, pumping sets, and other devices
• A variety of agricultural products were also employed as raw materials in several agro-based enterprises

The negative impact of the green revolution in India:

• Non-Food Grains Excluded: While all food grains, such as wheat, rice, jawar, bajra, and maize, benefited from the revolution, other crops, such as coarse cereals, pulses, and oilseeds, were excluded
• Excessive Chemical Use: As a result of the Green Revolution, pesticides and synthetic nitrogen fertilisers were widely used to improve irrigation projects and crop varieties
• Impacts on Soil and Crop Yield: Increasing crop production by repeating the crop cycle drains the soil’s nutrients
• Farm mechanisation under the Green Revolution resulted in widespread unemployment among agricultural labourers in rural areas, with the exception of Punjab and to a lesser extent Haryana

Conclusion:

The Green Revolution was an era in India’s history that began in the 1960s, during which high yielding variety (HYV) seeds, mechanised farm tools, irrigation systems, pesticides, and fertilisers were used to transform agriculture into a modern industrial system. The Green Revolution was driven by intensification and saved new land from being converted to agriculture, which is a known source of greenhouse gas emissions and a driver of climate change.