The document summarizes the Green Revolution that occurred in India in the 1960s and 1970s. It was led by M.S. Swaminathan and aimed to address India's hunger crisis through the introduction of high-yielding varieties of wheat and rice seeds that increased food grain production. This transformed India's status from food deficient to one of the leading agricultural nations. However, the overuse of chemicals caused environmental degradation and dependence on external inputs. It also had social and political consequences like increased rural inequality, tensions, and protests by farmers.
2. InstIntroduction
• The Green Revolution was an endeavour initiated by
Norman Borloug in the 1960s. He is known as the
'Father of Green Revolution' in world.
• In India, the Green Revolution was mainly led by M.S.
Swaminathan.
• The Green Revolution resulted in a great increase in
production of food grains (especially wheat and rice)
due to the introduction into developing countries of
new, high-yielding variety seeds, beginning in the mid-
20th century.
• The Green Revolution, spreading over the period from
1967-68 to 1977-78, changed India’s status from a
food-deficient country to one of the world's leading
agricultural nations.
3. Objectives of Green Revolution
• Short Term: The revolution was launched to address India’s
hunger crisis during the second Five Year Plan.
• Long Term: The long term objectives included overall
agriculture modernization based on rural development,
industrial development; infrastructure, raw material etc.
• Employment: To provide employment to both agricultural
and industrial workers.
• Scientific Studies: Producing stronger plants which could
withstand extreme climates and diseases.
• Globalization of the Agricultural World: By spreading
technology to non-industrialized nations and setting up
many corporations in major agricultural areas.
4. Important Crops
• Main crops were Wheat, Rice, Jowar, Bajra
and Maize.
• Non-food grains were excluded from the
ambit of the new strategy.
• Wheat remained the mainstay of the Green
Revolution for years.
5. What is Green Revolution ?
• A movement started post
WWII to address food
shortages in developing
countries
• International relief
organizations invested in
research to breed more
productive rice and wheat
crops
• New agricultural
technologies were
brought to India like
fertilizer, agrochemicals,
new types of
irrigation,etc.
6. Major issues
• Conflict between western and traditional
indigenous views
• Development
• Science
• Agriculture
• Environment
• An effort to break ecological limits that
resulted in new types of insecurity and
vulnerability
• Political, cultural and economic issues inherent
in green revolution exacerbated political,
ethnic and religious tensions
7. Need of Green Revolution
• Famine had ripped
through parts of India in
the past, and many
economists and
agricultural scientists
predicted worse famine
in the future.
• Overpopulation was
stretching India’s food
resources.
• Government inability to
ensure proper
movement of good to
areas that were in need.
8. Political Consequences
• Growing Fears in US
about spread of
communism.
• Food insecurity
created political
insecurity which
could lead to
communist uprisings.
• Part of the US
strategy to combat
communism was to
ensure food security
in developing
countries.
President Truman visiting the International
Rice Research Institute in the Philippines
9. Green revolution vs. traditional
agriculture
• Green revolution introduced
High Yielding Crop Varieties
(HYCVs) to India
• HYCVs required constant input
of agrochemicals (pesticides
etc.) and fertilizers
• New irrigation techniques were
implemented
• HYCV seeds and agrochemicals
needed to be obtained from
NGOs or from large distributors
• Created difficult environment
for small farmers
• Seed had traditionally been
harvested yearly from the field,
now farming required lots of
inputs
10. High yield crop varieties (HYCVs)
• International Rice Research
Institute, IRRI
• IR8 “miracle seed”
– Cooking quality issues
– Pest resistance issues
• With proper inputs (fertilizer,
chemicals) could produce up to
5x more grain per hectare
• Semi dwarf varieties developed
– More plant mass found in
grain
– Resistant to high winds
Distribution plant for IR8 in Africa
11. Agrochemicals
• Issues from improper use of agrochemicals
• Farmers wee not always taught proper application techniques
• Toxic issues from pesticides
• Over fertilization
• Most fertilizers imported from US
• Created large market for fertilizer manufacturing
• Many war time explosive manufacturing plants converted to
fertilizer manufacturing
•Fertilizers had not been used
on traditional crop varieties,
promoted vegetation growth
without increasing yield
•Pesticide use necessary,
many HYCV had poor pest
resistance
12.
13. How did India benefit?
• Increased Crop Yield seen in
majority of HYCV areas
• Large expansion of HYCV
use continued well though
the 80’s
• Farms with proper use of
agrochemicals/fertilizers
saw dramatic increase
• Benefit not seen as much in
small farms
• Eventually in most areas
crop yield plateaued and
subsequently fell
14. What were the ecological
consequences?
• Problems with soil fertility.
• Increased dependence of
external applications of
fertilizer.
• Water quality issues.
• Ecological degradation caused
returns to decrease at the years
went on.
• Loss of diversity.
• Improper application of
pesticides caused poisoning.
Activist poster from the 1980s
calling for an end to pesticide
use
15. Social And Political Consequences
• Changed the nature of agriculture,
from internal to external inputs
(buying seed, fertilizer etc)
• The commercialization of relationships
and subsequent cultural erosion
• The rapid increase in grain in the first
several years drove down the price of
food, harder for small farmers to make
a profit
• It increased competition for smaller
resources.
• Rural inequality.
16. • Seed and chemical distribution was controlled by
the Indian government, the top-down approach
created tensions in the state
• Decreasing return on investments caused many
farmers to blame government
• Increased ethnic and religious tensions
• Feelings of resentment among farmers
• Farm riots
17. Crisis in Punjab
• Punjab region once known as
India's “bread basket”
• Inhabited by Sikh minority
• Tensions between state and
central Indian government
over control of agricultural
economics
• Increased ethnic/religious
tensions
• Call for formation of
independent Sikh state
18. How does this relate to environmental
history?
• Changed how farmers
interacted with the
environment
– Movement to high tech
centralized agriculture
– Commercialization of
major grain seed
• Illustrates relationships
between environmental
degradation and
political/social issues
