Grey Revolution in India

The years in which the grey revolution was started were after the 1960s. The failures in the green revolution led to the beginning of the grey revolution. It aimed to correct the wrongs of the green revolution and be a better version of it. Grey revolution is an agri-tech startup creating sustainable solutions for the food system. It is building a platform that enables smallholder farmers to increase yield, improve profitability, and ultimately feed the world. This solution brings technology to the farm so that farmers can do what they do best: produce food. Offering solutions to help farmers succeed enables a more sustainable food system, with less reliance on costly inputs and more control and sustainability for farmers. After years of successfully increasing the productivity of their seeds, India turned its focus to the use of fertiliser to increase/boost growth. 

The Grey Revolution in India

The Grey Revolution in India was started in the 1960s to 1970s as a social movement for change in India. It has its roots in the agrarian crisis that began during the revolution of agriculture in India, which was a reaction to the famine that occurred during this time. After India was successful in its grey revolution, which focused on increasing the use of fertiliser to boost the growth of higher-yielding seeds, there were certain drawbacks in the green revolution and, with the help of the grey revolution, rectifying those drawbacks was possible. Wool production was also added to the grey revolution to increase agricultural profit. 

What Were the Objectives of the Grey Revolution?

The main objective of this grey revolution was to eventually increase land productivity by various means like overcoming the negative effects or drawbacks of the green revolution or by fertiliser usage. If the green revolution contributed to the nation’s development, the grey revolution promised a bright future for the nation’s agriculture. 

Drawbacks of the Green Revolution that were rectified with the Grey Revolution

The drawbacks of the green revolution that were further rectified by the grey revolution were:

1. The productivity rate of rice dropped from 9% in 1965-74 to 1.13% in 1995-96 during the green revolution.
2. The area’s quality suffered declination, which caused a decrease in land fertility.
3. There were huge energy and water demands due to the cultivation of rice in summer, which caused the declination of natural resources.
4. There was a clear decline in biodiversity due to the increased rates of diseases, pests, and weeds during the green revolution.
5. There was an increase in the Aero-solution concentration in the urban areas.
6. The pumping water cost rose due to groundwater overexploitation which led to a decrease in profits in the agricultural sector.
7. The Green Revolution led to a messy and unclean environment and decreased sanitation.

Strategies used

1. This revolution bridged the gap between the yields that we see in scientific studies and what we see in the real world, accelerating productivity and growth.
2. This revolution is focused on implementing Smart climate Agriculture.
3. The use of innovative genetic engineering techniques is often combined with biotechnology.
4. The inclusion of Social Policy and Protection by the United Nations Children’s Fund in India works to protect the rights of children in India.
5. To maintain a variety of livestock, horticulture, aquaculture, pulse, and oilseed production.
6. The goal of the farmer field school approach was to provide farmers with quality education. The facilities should be created to provide farmers with access to modern technologies and the management of professional practices.
7. The implementation of The National Food Security Act, 2013.
8. The Food Security Act aims to provide subsidised food grains to two-thirds of India’s population as part of an effort to address hunger and malnutrition within the country.

Challenges Faced

1. The main challenge faced by the developing nations is the ability to increase their ability to produce food sustainably.
2. Promoting and encouraging agriculture was yet another challenge faced to ensure that the profit and social attractiveness of agriculture are continually enhanced.
3. Ecosystem Services were important challenges that helped us improve water quality, conserve soil health, capture carbon, maintain biodiversity, and provide habitat for wildlife.
4. It was difficult to predict future demands for food and match them to the capabilities of existing food networks.

Conclusion

The father of the grey revolution in India was M.S. Swaminathan. He started the grey revolution in the years after the 1960s that mainly focussed on rectifying the faults in the green revolution and was hence called green revolution 2.0. It was started to increase fertiliser production in order to increase land productivity. There were certain drawbacks in the green revolution, and with the help of the grey revolution, rectifying the faults was possible. This revolution has bridged the gap between the yields that we see in scientific studies and what we see in the real world, accelerating productivity and growth in the process. But the idea of promoting and encouraging agriculture was yet another challenge and it was really difficult to predict future demands for food and match them to the capabilities of existing food networks.