Brown Revolution

The Brown revolution was initiated in the tribal areas of Visakhapatnam in India to meet the demand for coffee in the country. Hiralal Chaudri was the initiator of this revolution and is known as the brown revolution father. The brown revolution is known to promote the production of coffee, leather, and increased soil maintenance. The most unique part of this revolution is that its target was to produce environmentally-friendly coffee. This revolution brought about many changes in the coffee, leather, and cocoa production in the country.

Brown revolution related to coffee production

• Brown revolution was initiated in the tribal areas of the Visakhapatnam district. Under this revolution, the tribes of the district were trained to grow environment-friendly and organic coffee to meet the coffee demands of foreign countries.

• As coffee farming is known to cause a high amount of negative impact on biodiversity; hence, the prime focus was to cultivate coffee in an environment-friendly manner. 

• The campaign to upgrade coffee as a niche coffee in the western regions was embarked by the Coffee Board. The aim was to connect the producers and consumers of coffee in the same area.

• Though coffee has been grown in the tribal areas since the 1970s, it was only recently that the revolution of growing environment-friendly coffee gained momentum. Approximately 30,000 tribal people of Andhra Pradesh were initially involved in slash-and-burn, also known as `Podu’ or shifting cultivation. But now, they have started growing coffee under the canopy of silver oak in the form of a shade crop.

Benefits through Brown Revolution

• Though coffee is cultivated in small amounts in these areas, it has helped to increase the income of the tribal people. There is an interesting case of an old man named Linganna Padal who had a coffee plot that helped him make enough money, and with this earned money, he was able to buy a house and also educate his children. 

• It is also believed that apart from just providing a better lifestyle to the tribals, the target was also to form a sound base for marketing to meet the demands for organic coffee worldwide.

• States like Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, and Kerala are the major producers of coffee in India, but cannot be used to cultivate organic coffee as the lands are unfit for cultivating organic coffee due to their continued exposure to a lot of chemicals. On the other hand, the tribal areas of Visakhapatnam are suitable for cultivating organic coffee as their lands are free from chemical fertilisers due to the lack of financial and modern facilities.

Araku Valley Coffee

The Coffee Board and the Integrated Tribal Development Agency decided to take advantage of the condition of the lands of tribal areas in Visakhapatnam and started to grow coffee in the Araku Valley. 

The consistency and flavour of Araku Valley coffee gradually upgraded with the help of development of the farming facilities. A platform for auction is expected to be made for marketing and exporting coffee to countries like Japan, Australia, and America through the Visakhapatnam port.

Brown Revolution related to Waste management

Brown revolution also recycles all the polluting, deadly garbage or waste products. It helps in waste composting and generates power in small and metro cities. It promotes the development of non-conventional energy sources in India. 

Importance of Brown Revolution 

Brown revolution is known to increase the development of non-conventional resources. It has saved the energy crisis in the world economy and reduced global warming issues presented throughout the biosphere. The electric energy obtained can charge electric vehicles like cars, trucks, and hydrogen fuel cells. The energy can also be used for powering purposes in homes, industries, and other places.

Brown revolution is also known to be involved in leather production and maintaining soil quality.

Conclusion

Brown revolution is the scheme that increases the production of coffee, cocoa, and other non-conventional crops. Hiralal Chaudri was the initiator of the brown revolution and is known as the father of the brown revolution. The main aim of the brown revolution was to produce environmentally friendly coffee that was possible only on the land of tribal areas of Visakhapatnam. Many different campaigns were also started by the Coffee Board in Araku valley to promote the production of coffee and meet the demands of the developed countries.