The Green Revolution in India refers to a period when Indian agriculture was converted into an industrial system due to the adoption of modern methods and technology such as the use of High Yielding Variety (HYV) seeds, tractors, irrigation facilities, pesticides, and fertilizers. It was mainly founded by M.S. Swaminathan. This was part of the larger Green revolution endeavor initiated by Norman Borlaug, which leveraged agricultural research and technology to increase agricultural productivity in the developing world.
Under the premiership of Congress leader Lal Bahadur Shastri, the Green Revolution in India commenced in 1965 that led to an increase in food grain production, especially in Punjab, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh. Major milestones in this undertaking were the development of high-yielding varieties of wheat and rust-resistant strains of wheat. However, agricultural scientists like M.S. Swaminathan and social activists like Vandana Shiva believe that it caused greater long term sociological and financial problems for the people of Punjab and Haryana.
PRACTICES:
Wheat production
The main development was higher-yielding varieties of wheat, for developing rust-resistant strains of wheat. The introduction of high-yielding varieties(HYV) seeds and the improved quality of fertilizers and irrigation techniques led to the increase in production to make the country self-sufficient in food grains, thus improving agriculture in India. The methods adopted included the use of high-yielding varieties (HYVs) of seeds with modern farming methods.
The production of wheat has produced the best results in fueling the self-sufficiency of India. Along with high-yielding seeds and irrigation facilities, the enthusiasm of farmers mobilized the idea of an agricultural revolution. Due to the rise in the use of chemical pesticides and fertilizers, there was a negative effect on the soil and the land.
OTHER PRACTICES:
· Irrigation Infrastructure
· Use of Pesticides
· Use of Insecticides
· Use of Herbicides
· Consolidation of Holdings
· Land Reforms
· Improved Rural Infrastructure
· Supply of Agricultural Credit
· Use of Chemical or Synthetic Fertilizers
· Use of Sprinklers or Drip Irrigation Systems
· Use of Advanced Machinery
· Use of the Vector Quantity
Frequent famines
In 1964-65 and 1965–66, India experienced two severe droughts which led to food shortages and famines among the country’s growing population. Modern agricultural technologies appeared to offer strategies to counter the frequency of famines. There is a debate regarding India’s famines before independence, with some arguing that they were intensified by British taxation and agrarian policies in the 19th and 20th centuries and others downplaying such impact of colonial rule.
Lack of finance
Marginal farmers found it very difficult to get finance and credit at economical rates from the government and banks and hence, fell as easy prey to the money lenders. They took loans from landlords, who charged high rates of interest and also exploited the farmers later on to work in their fields to repay the loans. Proper financing was not given during the Green Revolution period, which created a lot of problems and sufferings for the farmers of India. The government also helped those under loans.
Low productivity
In the context of India’s rapidly growing population, the country’s traditional agricultural practices yielded insufficient food production. By the 1960s, this low productivity led India to experience food grain shortages that were more severe than those of other developing countries. Agricultural technological advancements offered opportunities to increase productivity.
Criticisms of the Green Revolution
The Green Revolution yielded great economic prosperity during its early years. In Punjab, where it was first introduced, the Green Revolution led to significant increases in the state’s agricultural output, supporting India’s overall economy. By 1970, Punjab was producing 70 percent of the country’s total food grains and farmers’ incomes were increasing by over 70 percent. Punjab’s prosperity following the Green Revolution became a model to which other states aspired to reach.
However, despite the initial prosperity experienced in Punjab, the Green Revolution was met with much controversy throughout India.
Indian economic sovereignty
Criticism of the effects of the green revolution includes the cost for many small farmers using HYV seeds, with their associated demands of increased irrigation systems and pesticides. A case study is found in India, where farmers are buying Monsanto BT cotton seeds—sold on the idea that these seeds produced ‘natural insecticides‘. In reality, they need to still pay for expensive pesticides and irrigation systems, which might lead to increased borrowing to finance the change from traditional seed varieties. Many farmers have difficulty in paying for expensive technologies, especially if they have a bad harvest. These high costs of cultivation push rural farmers to take on loans—typically at high-interest rates. Over-borrowing commonly entraps farmers into a cycle of debt.
On top of this, India’s liberalized economy further exacerbates the farmers’ economic conditions. Indian environmentalist Vandana Shiva writes that this is the “second Green Revolution“. The first Green Revolution, she suggests, was mostly publicly funded (by the Indian Government). This new Green Revolution, she says, is driven by private (and foreign) interest – notably MNCs like Monsanto—as encouraged by the neoliberal context. Ultimately, this is leading to foreign ownership over most of India’s farmland, undermining farmers’ interests.
Farmer’s financial issues have become especially apparent in Punjab, where its rural areas have witnessed an alarming rise in suicide rates. Excluding the countless unreported cases, there has been an estimated to be a 51.97 percent increase in the number of suicides in Punjab in 1992-93, compared to the recorded 5.11 percent increase in the country as a whole. According to a 2019 Indian newspaper, indebtedness continues to be a grave issue affecting Punjabi farmers today, demonstrated thar more than 900 recorded farmers’ suicide in Punjab in the last two years.
Environmental damage
Excessive and inappropriate use of fertilizers and pesticides polluted waterways and killed beneficial insects and wildlife. It has caused over-use of soil and rapidly depleted its nutrients. The rampant irrigation practices led to eventual soil degradation. Groundwater practices have fallen dramatically. Further, heavy dependence on a few major crops has led to the loss of biodiversity of farmers. These problems were aggravated due to the absence of training to use modern technology and vast illiteracy leading to excessive use of chemicals.
Increased regional disparities
The green revolution spread only in irrigated and high-potential rainfed areas. The villages or regions without access to sufficient water were left out that widened the regional disparities between adopters and non-adopters. Since, the HYV seeds technically can be applied only in a land with assured water supply and availability of other inputs like chemicals, fertilizers, etc. The application of the new technology in the dry-land areas is simply ruled out.
The states like Punjab, Haryana, Western UP, etc. having good irrigation and other infrastructure facilities were able to derive the benefits of the green revolution and achieve faster economic development while other states have recorded slow growth in agriculture production.
Present revolutionizing of Indian Agriculture:
New research shows that diversifying crop production can make food supply more nutritious, reduce resource demand and greenhouse gas emissions, and enhance climate resilience without reducing calorie production or requiring more land.
Experts are calling for a dramatic shift in the short term profits approach to agriculture and advocating the use of traditional knowledge and time-honored practices. Instead of industrial agriculture with misplaced technologies they argue, farming should cooperate more closely with nature, with intelligent plant breeding and a return to old and proven crop varieties.
Formerly, societies depended on 200 to 300 crops for food and health security, but gradually we have come to the stage of four important crops: wheat, corn, rice, and soybean. This homogenization increases profitability for a handful of owners, to the detriment of everyone else. The cultivation of indigenous and heritage crops has the potential to make agriculture genetically diverse, sustainable, and resilient to climate variability.
Besides Haryana, some other states have indirect programs to motivate farmers to move to less water-intensive crops. Northern Punjab, a major producer of wheat and rice, is offering cash incentives to farmers who use less electricity to extract groundwater. In Maharashtra, farmers are encouraged to use drip irrigation for sugarcane cultivation.
More of the same could not have been the answer in 1966. More of the same can’t be the answer in 2020.
