Green Revolution: Objectives, Features, Significance & More - UPSC Notes

Norman Borlaug first started the Green Revolution in the 1960s. Because of his role in this revolution, he is known to be the "Father of Green Revolution." For this, he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1970 as he had done tremendous work developing high-yielding wheat varieties (HYVs). Apart from that, the Father of the Green Revolution in India is M.S. Swaminathan. Because of the Green Revolution, there is a tremendous increase in the production of food grains, mainly wheat and rice crops. This increase is only because of introducing new, high-yielding varieties of seeds into developing countries, beginning in the mid-20th century. In its early days, maximum increment was seen in Mexico and the Indian subcontinent.

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This is one of the essential topics under Indian polity for the UPSC Civil Service Examination. In this article, we shall discuss in detail the components, primary objectives and schemes under the Green Revolution. Read the entire article to know all about the Green Revolution in India. Join the UPSC coaching today and boost your preparation. 

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What is the Green Revolution?

The Green Revolution, also known as the Third Agricultural Revolution, marked a phase of technology transfer initiatives leading to substantial increases in crop yields. Commencing in developed nations in the early 20th century, these transformative changes in agriculture extended globally until the late 1980s.

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Objectives of the Green Revolution

The primary objectives of the green revolution are listed below:

• The main short-term aim behind this revolution is to address India's hunger crisis during the second Five-Year Plan.
• The long-term goal of this revolution is to modernize agricultural practice in rural areas. This will lead to the modernization of rural development, industrial development, infrastructure, raw materials, etc.
• Another main objective after this revolution was to employ agricultural and industrial workers.
• Another objective is to produce vigorous plants that withstand extreme climates and diseases.

Components of the Green Revolution

The major components of the Green Revolution are listed below:

• The HYV Seeds - The HYV plays a crucial role in the green revolution, as the maturing time of such crops is less than that of others. This enables the farmers to do multiple cropping. For example: Traditional varieties of rice and wheat take around 130 to 150 days to harvest, but new varieties of seed only need 100 to 110 days for harvesting. Such seeds also help create higher employment rates as they require more labor per unit area under optimum conditions.
• Irrigation - Irrigation is considered the second most crucial component of the green revolution. Over and under-irrigation is harmful to plants. Farmers can not rely on rainfall for irrigation because the season is irregular. So, for getting a good-quality harvesting yield, regular timing of irrigation and quantity of water supplied are essential. By doing this, one can enhance the yield by 80%.
• Chemical Fertilizers - By the time the natural fertility of soil keeps on decreasing, the HYV variety of seed requires high amounts of fertilizers to give high yields of crops. In terms of consumption of fertilizers, southern India is leading in comparison to Northern India till 1970, but after this, consumption of fertilizers in Northern states increased tremendously, especially in states like Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh.
• Consolidation of Holding - Earlier, the landholding process was a major problem in performing agricultural practices, but after the Green Revolution, this problem was also sorted.
• Land Reforms - Earlier, the Zamindari system was there, which led to the exploitation of farmers. But the system was changed with the introduction of the Green Revolution as the new law was implemented, i.e., ceiling laws.

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Basic Elements of the Green Revolution

There were three basic elements in the method of the Green Revolution:

Continued Expansion of Farming Areas

As previously stated, the amount of land under cultivation has increased since 1947. However, more was needed to fulfill the expanding demand. Other approaches were required. Nonetheless, the growth of arable land had to continue. As a result, the Green Revolution's quantitative growth of agriculture proceeded. However, this is hardly Revolution'son’s most remarkable feature.

Double-cropping Existing Farmland

The Green Revolution was characterized by double-cropping. Instead of having just one agricultural season per year, the decision was taken to have two. The practice of having only one season each year was founded on having only one natural monsoon per year. As a result, each year requires "wo “monso"ns.” 

One would be a natural monsoon, while the other would be a man-made’mons'on.’ The artificial monsoon arrived in the form of massive irrigation systems. Dams were erected to capture vast amounts of natural monsoon water that would have otherwise been wasted.

Using Seeds with Improved Genetics

The scientific side of the Green Revolution was this. In 1965 and again in 1973, the Indian Council for Agricultural Research was reorganised. It created novel high-yielding value (HYV) seed strains, primarily for wheat and rice but also for millet and corn. The K68 wheat cultivar was the most notable HYV seed. Dr. M.P. Singh, also known as the heroIndia'sia’s Green Revolution, is credited with inventing this strain.

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Features of the Green Revolution

Some of the significant features of the green revolution include the following:

• The Green Revolution in India involved the adoption of high-yielding varieties of crops such as wheat and rice.
• The Green Revolution emphasized the expansion of irrigation facilities to ensure a consistent water supply for crops.
• The Green Revolution promoted using chemical fertilizers and pesticides to enhance crop productivity.
• The Green Revolution led to the mechanization of agricultural practices. Farm machinery was introduced to improve efficiency and productivity in farming operations.
• The Green Revolution promoted the adoption of modern agricultural practices such as crop rotation, multiple cropping, and proper crop management. 

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Green Revolution in India

In 1943, India was counted among the top countries that suffered world'sld’s worst recorded crisis, the Bengal Famine; this led to the death of approx 4 million people in eastern India due to hunger. After the independence of India, i.e., from 1947 to 1967, the government of India primarily concentrated on expanding the farming areas. But India's population growthndia is much more than the rate of food production. This leads to the need for more food. Because of all these conditions, there is an urgent need to increase the crop production yield. Hence, the green revolution started in India.

In India, the Green Revolution led to a period when Indian Agriculture was converted into an industrial system. Under this revolution, modern methods and technology are adopted, such as using HYV seeds, tractors, irrigation facilities, pesticides, and fertilizers. The India Green Revolution resulted in the best for the wheat crop, as after the introduction of Green Revolution in India, the wheat production increased by more than three times between 1967-68 and 2003-04. In contrast, for the rest of the crops, like cereals, the overall increase in production was only two times.

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Phases of the Green Revolution in India

The Indian Green Revolution was held in three basic stages:

1. Phase I (1965-66 to 1980): The need to establish food security and food grain self-sufficiency catalysed this step. It primarily focused on wheat, which it implemented with the High-Yielding Varieties (HYV) seeds. Since irrigation and infrastructure were favourable, the revolution concentrated in Punjab, Haryana, and Western Uttar Pradesh. This was assisted by such programs as the Intensive Agriculture Development Program (IADP) and the Intensive Agriculture Area Programme (IAAP). Food grain production tripled during this period, with a significant growth in wheat production.
2. Phase II (1980-1991): Once wheat production was stabilised, there was a move to focus on rice production in the 6th and 7th Five-Year Plans. This phase focused on the more watery areas like West Bengal, Bihar, Eastern Uttar Pradesh, Assam and the rainy coasts. This partly succeeded through enhanced output, such as in the Krishna-Godavari delta and Cauvery basin regions. The full potential, however, was crippled by institutional barriers like weak land reforms as well as conservative agricultural perceptions.
3. Phase III (1991-2003): It involved dryland farming and introducing HYV seeds to other crops such as cotton, oil seeds, pulses and millets. Schemes like the Integrated Watershed Management Programme tried to improve semi-arid and sub-humid areas with mixed results. The idea of balanced agricultural growth with special emphasis on the aspect of sustainability was further brought up by the government under the Rainbow Revolution, which initially focused on food grains along with oilseeds, dairy products (White Revolution), fertilisers (Brown Revolution), and poultry (Silver Revolution).

In brief, the Green Revolution started with an emphasis on wheat production using irrigation water in semi-arid northwestern India, later spreading to wetter eastern states and rice production, and it extended to dryland crops and sustainable farming techniques in subsequent years.

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Negative and Positive Impact of the Green Revolution in India

There were both negative and positive effects of the Green Revolution in India:

Positive Impacts:

• Growth in Agricultural Output: Significant growth in wheat and rice production made India self-sufficient in food grain production on many occasions, so much so that it also exported. As an illustration, grain production hit 131 million tonnes in 1978-79.
• Prosperity among Farmers: More farmers and, in considerable measure, farmers owning larger plots stood to gain from the higher incomes due to improved yields and modern farm inputs, such as high-yielding variety (HYV) seeds, fertilisers and machines.
• Reduced Food Imports: India minimised the imports of food grains, and food security was enhanced.
• Industrialisation: The shortage of agricultural machinery, chemical fertilisers, pesticides and the agricultural-based industries increased, promoting the growth of industries.
• Creation of rural Employment: Multiple cropping and increased intensive use of inputs stimulated the demand for labour, thereby generating rural employment.
• Better Rural Standard of Living: Income growth in agriculture boosted domestic economies and bettered the standard of living in the countryside.

Negative Impacts:

• Environmental Degradation: There was intensive use of chemical fertilisers, pesticides and irrigation, thus causing soil degradation, water depletion and pollution.
• Social Inequality: Large and medium farmers with proper infrastructure were the primary beneficiaries, and even the small and marginal farmers never had the means to buy new technology due to the wide range of income inequality.
• Regional Imbalances: Only a few states enjoyed the economic advantages of the revolution, including Punjab, Haryana, and Western UP.
• Crop Diversity: Lack of crop diversity was focused on wheat and rice, impacting the biodiversity by making other traditional food grains and pulses rarely cultivated.
• Health Concerns: Excessive use of agrochemicals caused pollution fears, posing a health risk to farmers and their customers.

To recapitulate, although the Green Revolution made India move into a position of food surplus and inflated rural economies, it also featured environmental pressures and socio-economic disparities, which should be addressed continuously by measures in the policy framework.

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Significance of the Green Revolution

Some of the positive implications of the green revolution are shown below:

• It is believed to be one of the world's largest agricultural producing countries because of the green revolution; an agricultural yield of 131 million tons was reported in 1978-79.
• After the initiation of the green revolution, India became self-sufficient in food grains, and due to this, we are not in need of importing food grains from other countries. Instead, we began exporting food grains.
• Due to the green revolution, farmers' net income increased, and they invested their income in more agricultural productivity. This revolution also enhanced capitalist farming.
• After the Green Revolution, people began getting employment in agricultural and industrial fields.

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Schemes Under the Green Revolution in India

In 2005, the government of India initiated the Green Revolution Krishonnati Yojana, which is helping the country's agriculture sector. It includes 11 schemes and missions under one umbrella scheme:

• Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture (MIDH): The mission focuses on developing and growing horticulture as an integrated part of India. This includes the production, post-harvest management, and marketing of horticultural crops.
• National Food Security Mission (NFSM): It aims to increase the production and productivity of rice, wheat, and pulses in the country. This mainly focuses on closing the yield gaps in the targeted crops and locations.
• National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture (NMSA): The mission emphasizes implementing sustainable agricultural practices in India. It aims to enhance agricultural productivity in ways that conserve natural resources and have minimal environmental impact.
• Submission on Agriculture Extension (SMAE): The scheme is primarily oriented towards strengthening the country's extension services for agriculture. This involves increasing agricultural extension services to facilitate farmers' access to relevant information, knowledge, and technologies in a timely manner.
• Sub-Mission on Seeds and Planting Material (SMSP): This sub-mission would ensure the farmers' availability of quality seeds and planting material. Its focus would be on the production, distribution, and promotion of improved crop varieties.
• Sub-Mission on Agricultural Mechanization (SMAM): It promotes agricultural machinery and equipment in India. This sub-mission focuses on mechanizing different farm operations so that productivity may be improved through the efficient use of resources. SMAM offers financial assistance to farmers who want to buy farm machinery.
• Sub-Mission on Plant Protection and Plant Quarantine (SMPPQ): This sub-mission deals with the plant protection and quarantine measures to avoid the spread of pests and diseases in crops. It aims to strengthen the infrastructure for plant protection, surveillance systems, and pest management practices.
• Integrated Scheme on Agriculture Census, Economics and Statistics (ISACES): The scheme aims to generate reliable data on agriculture, farmers, and agricultural practices in India. It focuses on conducting periodic agricultural censuses, surveys, and data collection activities.
• Integrated Scheme on Agricultural Cooperation (ISAC): The scheme aims to promote agricultural cooperatives and cooperative farming models in India. It focuses on strengthening the cooperative movement in agriculture and allied sectors.
• Integrated Scheme on Agricultural Marketing (ISAM): This scheme aims to develop agricultural marketing infrastructure and practices in India. The emphasis is on developing agricultural marketing infrastructure like market yards, cold storage facilities, and rural haats. It encourages direct marketing, e-marketing, and value-added activities.
• National e-Governance Plan in Agriculture: Objective. It seeks to promote information and communication technology usage in agriculture governance and service delivery. It focuses on digitizing the agricultural processes and data management and delivers services to farmers online.

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