Science > Biology > Improvement in Crop variety > Impact of the Green Revolution
When studying the impact of the Green Revolution we have to consider both of its sides: merits and demerits
Merits of the Green Revolution:
Increase in Agricultural Production:
The aim of the Green Revolution was to make India self-sufficient in the field of food grains production. Hence HYVP was restricted to only five crops – Wheat, Rice, Jowar, Bajra, and Maize. Non-food grains were excluded from the ambit of the new strategy. There was a remarkable increase in food grains production. The Green Revolution resulted in a record grain output of 281.37 million tonnes in 2018-19. This established India as one of the world’s biggest agricultural producers. But the Green Revolution has been largely confined to Wheat crop neglecting the other crops. Most of the HYV seeds are related to wheat crop and a major portion of chemical fertilizer are also used in wheat cultivation. Therefore, the Green Revolution can be largely considered as a wheat revolution. The production of wheat increased to 100 million tonnes in 2018-19 from just 11 million tonnes in 1960.
Increase in Agricultural Productivity of land:
Green Revolution increased the per hectare yield. Yield per hectare of agricultural land improved by more than 30% between1947 and 1979. In the case of wheat, the per hectare yield increased from 850 kg/hectare to 2281 kg/hectare by 1990.
Change in Cropping Pattern:
Firstly, the proportion of cereals in the food grains output has increased and the proportion of pulses has declined. Secondly, the proportion of wheat cereals has increased while that of coarse grains has declined.
Employment Generation:
Initially, it was feared that commercial farming would leave a lot of the labour force jobless. Many labourers from poor states migrated to regions where commercial farming was adopted. They not only earn their bread and butter but take back home new ideas and technology.
The Green Revolution created plenty of jobs not only for agricultural workers but also for industrial workers by creating related facilities such as factories, transportation, food processing, marketing, and hydroelectric power stations.
Prosperity of Farmers:
With the increase in farm production, the earnings of the farmers also increased and they became prosperous. It enabled them to shift to commercial farming from only sustenance farming. This change was noted in the case of big farmers having more than 10 hectares of land.
Reduction in import of food-grains:
The aim of the Green Revolution was to make India self-sufficient in the field of food grains production. The goal was achieved with a surplus. It resulted in a drastic reduction in their imports. Now India is self-sufficient in food-grains and has sufficient stock in the central pool (the stock in case of emergencies). In some food grains, India is in a position to export food-grains also.
Per-Capita Availability of Food:
In spite of the rapid increase in the population in the period, the per capita net availability of food-grains has also increased from 395 grams per day in the early 1950s to the level of 436 grams in 2003.
Commercialization of Farming:
Big farmers having more than 10 hectares of land invested a large amount of money in various inputs like HYV seeds, fertilizers, machines, etc. Their objective was to earn more profit by the sale of food grains. This has encouraged capitalistic farming. Wiser farmers ploughed back their surplus income for improving agricultural productivity.
Attitudinal Change in Farmers:
The Indian farmer due to illiteracy, backwardness used conventional methods of cultivation since the early times. The Green Revolution has brought about a basic change in his attitude towards farming. They started using technology and modern methods of farming. They have shifted their vision to commercial farming from earlier sustenance farming.
Industrial Growth:
The Green Revolution has benefited the industrial development. Many industries producing agriculture, machinery, chemical fertilizers, pesticides, insecticides, etc., have come up to meet the growing demand for these commodities. Similarly, it created job opportunity in servicing of this machinery. Several agricultural products are used as raw materials in various industries called agro-based industries. e.g. Textile, sugar, vanaspati, etc. Thus the input to agro-based industries increased.
Demerits of Green Revolution:
Inter-Crop Imbalances:
The aim of the Green Revolution was to make India self-sufficient in the field of food grains production. Hence HYVP was restricted to only five crops – Wheat, Rice, Jowar, Bajra, and Maize. Non-food grains were excluded from the ambit of the new strategy. But the Green Revolution has been largely confined to Wheat crop neglecting the other crops. Most of the HYV seeds are related to wheat crop and a major portion of chemical fertilizer are also used in wheat cultivation. The area under cultivation of coarse cereals, pulses and oilseeds decreased. The HYV seeds of coarse cereals, pulses and oilseeds have either not been developed so far at all, or they are not good enough for farmers to risk their adoption. Thus their cultivation is fast becoming uneconomic and they are often given up in favour of wheat or even rice. Hence an excess of production in two main food-grains (wheat and rice) and shortages in most others is observed. Major cash crops like cotton, jute, tea, and sugarcane were not considered during the Green Revolution.
Regional Disparities:
Due to the requirement of good irrigation, the first stage of the Green Revolution was focused only on states with better agricultural infra – like Punjab, Haryana and Western Uttar Pradesh in the north and Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu in the south. Thus the Green Revolution affected only those areas which were already better placed from an agricultural point of view. They have hardly considered the Eastern region, including Assam, Bihar, West Bengal, and Orissa and arid and semi-arid areas of Western and Southern India. Thus the problem of regional disparities has further aggravated as a result of the Green Revolution.
Formation of Classes in Farmers:
The big farmers having 10 hectares or more land, who are benefited the most from Green Revolution due to availability of the financial resources to purchase farm implements, better seeds, fertilizers and regular supply of irrigated water. The small and marginal farmers do not have the financial resources to purchase these farm inputs and are deprived of the benefits of Green Revolution Technology. Thus two types of classes were formed among farmers.
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