THE GREEN

REVOLUTION IN INDIA
(CHANGING AGRICULTURAL
TRADITIONS)
 What was the green
revolution?
A movement starting 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- fertilizer,
agrochemicals, new types of
irrigation
 Why was a revolution
needed?
Famine had ripped though
parts of India in the past,
and many economists and
agricultural scientists
predicted worse famine in
the future is a new plan
was not put in place
Overpopulation was
stretching Indias food
resources
Government inability to
ensure proper movement
of good to areas that were
in need
 Causes of green revolution:

High Yielding Varieties of Seed.

Chemical Fertilizers.
Irrigation.
Multiple Cropping.
Modern Agricultural Machinery.
Credit Facilities.
Agricultural Research.
Plant Protection.
Rural Electrification.
Soil Testing and Soil Conservation.
 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
 Advantages of green revolution:

Yields increased three times.

Multiple cropping.
Other crops grown which varied the diet.
Surplus to sell in cities creating a profit
improving the standard of living.
Allows purchase of fertilizers, machinery
etc.
India becomes self sufficient in food
grains.
 Limitation of green revolution:

The Green Revolution, howsoever

impressive, but NOT a 100% success.

Only Punjab and Haryana states

showed best results of Green
Revolution.

The new farming techniques, has

given birth to the serious pollution of
drinking water causing cancer and
other diseases.
 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
 A recent Punjabi University study
found a high rate of genetic damage
among farmers, which was attributed
to pesticide use.

The new organic fertilizer, pesticides

and chemicals are ruining the soil.

Lead to unemployment and Rural-

Urban Immigration.
 What were the 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
President Truman visiting the ensure food security in
International Rice Research developing countries
Institute in the Philippines
How did India benefit?
Increased Crop Yield seen in
majority of HYCV areas
Large expansion of HYCV
use continued well though
the 80s
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
 What were the ecological
consequences?
Problems with soil fertility
Micronutrient issues
Increased dependence of
external applications of
fertilizer
Water quality issues
Ecological degradation
caused returns to
decrease at the years
went on Activist poster from the
1980s calling for an end
Loss of diversity to pesticide use
Improper application of
What were the 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
 What were the social and political
consequences

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
 QUESTION TIME

HOW MUCH WATER IS NEEDED TO

GROW 1kg OF RICE?
 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
 Crisis in Punjab
Cultural
issues:
-
Nature of commercializati Economic &
green on of Political
revolution: relationships tensions:
-conflict over -cultural - sharing of
resources erosion power between
-class conflict -homogenized state and central
ethnic identities government
-pauperization
-top down
-declines of regulations
profitability
Crisis in - Feelings of
-environmental Punjab weakness from
degridation local and state
-violence government
-
resentment
 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
 Conclusion:

As a technological innovation, the

Green Revolution replaced one way
of life in another in short span of two
decades.
The lesson learned from this green
revolution should enable policy
makers to reduce the adverse effects
of the coming Biorevolution based on
genetic engineering.
THANK YOU

PRESENTED BY-DEEPRAJ BEDI

159107013