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In the early decades of the twentieth century, the production of food grains was one of the major concerns of many developing economies like India, where famines and natural calamities were not uncommon. Political aggression in various parts of the world led to damaging jolts in food production, and India was one of the countries to face detrimental effects.
India needed drastic measures to provide for its people, and therefore, it witnessed a series of revolutions in food in the following decades. M.S.Swaminathan was one of the primary persons behind the success of the Green Revolution in India. He is known as the father of the Green Revolution in India due to his supervision and success in further enhancing high-yielding wheat seeds in India. Various other revolutions in India, like the White Revolution (operation flood), were introduced to increase milk production in India. Another is the Blue revolution which was related to fish production. Dr. Arun Krishnan introduced it in the year 1973-2002.
Green Revolution
The green revolution or the new agricultural technology focussed on the advancement of HYV seed to meet the food shortage crisis in many parts of the world. The primary aim of the green revolution was the multiplication of foodgrains, alleviating poverty, and making developing countries self-reliant in agricultural production. The term refers to refinement in agricultural production techniques that began in the 1940s in Mexico. Due to its success, it was adopted worldwide.
Green revolution in India
The green revolution was introduced in India due to a low level of agricultural productivity. The main causes behind this low level of productivity were:
Outdated techniques or old production methods
Traditional agricultural practices
Lack of willingness to take risks
The Green Revolution aimed to increase production by introducing new technology in agriculture. This new technology comprised the use of:
HYV seeds: these seeds were used in the areas with potential irrigation facilities.
Chemical fertilisers: for effective results of HYV seeds, use of chemical fertilisers is essential. To meet the continuous demand for these fertilisers they were imported from various parts of the world.
Pesticides: They were used to protect the plants from various crop diseases that adversely damaged the crops.
Extensive irrigation: well-developed irrigation facilities were necessary to enhance the production.
Mechanisation: Mechanisation gained significance due to new agricultural technology. It means the use of advanced tools, tractors, threshers, etc. In 1966, the number of tractors was 50 thousand, which escalated to 14 lakhs during 1995-96.
Merits of Green Revolution in India
1. Self-sustenance in foodgrains: India has attained self-sufficiency in food grains, particularly wheat and rice. India now stands in the second position after China. Production of wheat as of 2020-21 is 108.75 million tonnes which is presumably to rise to 111.32 million tonnes in 2021-22. Production of rice as of 2020-21 is 121.46 million tonnes which now is 127.93 million tonnes as of 2021-22. India is now capable of exporting food grains to other countries.
2. Increase in productivity: By embracing new agricultural technology, per hectare production has increased.
3. Transference from subsistence farming to commercial farming: The green revolution has also replaced the pattern of agriculture. Earlier farmers only produced for self-consumption, but after the innovation of HYV seeds and increased productivity, They were now able to sell the surplus stock in the market. This surplus stock is called Marketable Surplus.
4. Refinement of transportation: Due to increased production, there was a resultant increase and improvement of transportation facilities like railways and road transport. Since India is a country of villages, agriculture is the base for rural transportation.
5. Scientific agriculture: After the innovation of the green revolution, Indian farmers who earlier depended on the traditional tactics of production now shifted to modern agricultural methods, which were way better than the previous methods because they included the utilisation of improved seeds, fertilisers, and improved implements, etc.
Demerits of Green Revolution
1. It was constricted to only a few crops and areas: the green revolution benefited only states producing wheat, rice, jawar, bajra, etc. oil seeds and pulses were to be imported. The main reason behind this was that new agricultural technology requires substantial irrigation facilities and extensive financial resources, which were not available in all the country’s regions.
2. Economic discrepancy: since the new agricultural technology required extensive finance, only wealthy farmers benefited from it, and it did not help improve the conditions of the poor farmers. Thus, it widened the rich-poor gap.
3. Environmental deterioration: the HYV seeds were more prone to attacks and crop diseases. To avoid this, the farmers used chemical fertilisers and pesticides, which deteriorated the soil fertility, degraded the land productivity, and increased health risks.
4. Imports: even after many years, India still has to import oilseeds, pulses, and other crops from other countries. India is only self-sufficient in the production of wheat and rice.
5. Unemployment: the new technology increased unemployment in rural areas since it requires mechanisation and electrification. It has increased disguised unemployment.
Conclusion
The advancement of agriculture helped boost the foodgrain production in India and make the country self-sufficient in wheat and rice. It had its implications on the environment and didn’t help enhance the conditions of poor farmers. Instead, it expanded the gap between the rich and poor farmers. For the progressive implementation of the new agricultural technology, certain amendments must be made like integrated development, water management, plant protection, natural fertilisers, etc. The course of action should be taken, considering the already existing problems.
