STRUCTURE

Introduction – A short introduction to Green Revolution (15 words)                     

Body – Explain how green Revolution helped to achieve self-reliance in food production (220 words)

Conclusion – Mention a short conclusion  (15 words)

ANSWER

Green Revolution refers to the development of high yielding variety (HYV) seeds during the decade of 1960's which led to the phenomenal rise in the output of food crops in India. Norman-e-Borlaug is considered as the father of Green Revolution in World while M.S. Swaminathan is considered as the father of Green Revolution in India. Although the seeds of the green revolution were shown in the early 1950's in Mexico, the term Green Revolution was coined by William S. Gadd in 1968.

Components of Green Revolution

The HYV Seeds

• HYV has increased responsiveness to Chemical Fertilizers, their period of maturing is short which enables the farmer to go for multiple cropping.

• For example, the new seeds of the Rice and Wheat take around 100 and 110 days respectively, contrary to this the traditional varieties of wheat and rice take around 130 and 150 days respectively to harvest.

• HYV seeds help in generating more employment since under optimum conditions they require more labour per unit area.

Irrigation

• It is the second most important component of Green Revolution after HYV, and over and under-irrigation, both are injurious to the crop.

• As Indian rainfall is unreliable, irregular and seasonal, there is an urgent need to expand irrigation potential.

• The timing of irrigation and quantity of water supplied are important for the satisfactory performance of the crop, as in case of wheat appropriate timing and spacing of irrigation raise the yield as much as 50%, even if other inputs like fertiliser etc are not applied.

Chemical Fertilizers

• The natural fertility of the soil decreases over the period of time and HYV seeds are also known as hungry varieties, which require a high dose of fertilizers to give high yields.

• In terms of fertiliser consumption till 1970, southern India was leading, later Northern India particularly, Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh became the main consumers.

• Insecticide and Pesticide

• The monoculture promoted by the Green Revolution is more vulnerable to insects and pests, thus use of Pesticide and Germicide becomes compulsory for secured yields.

• Consolidation of Holding

• Small and fragmented landholding has been the main problem in the progress of agriculture in India.

Land Reforms: Under zamindari system zamindars used to exploit the farmers, thus after independence reform where introduced and intermediaries like Zamindari system were abolished, further ceiling laws were imposed. One of the objectives of the land reform was land to the tiller.

Agriculture Credit: The inputs like Technology, HYV Seeds, Fertilizer, Pesticide etc all depend on the availability of the credit. Easy and cheaper credit is a must.

Rural Electrification: Electric power which is the nucleus of all technological development is imperative for multiple cropping and intensification of Agriculture.

Farm Mechanisation

• Mechanisation saves human labour and quickens the farm operations; thus, it improves the farm efficiency and productivity.

• Agriculture Universities

• Agriculture universities and other institutes are primarily engaged in agriculture research and passing on the research finding to the farmers.

Positive Impacts of Green Revolution

• Increased Agriculture Production- The production of wheat increased from around 24 Million tonnes in 1970-71 to around 96 Million tonnes in 2013-14, and the production of rice increased from around 31 Million tonnes in 1965-66 to around 106 Million tonnes in 2013-14.

• The prosperity of Farmers- Earning of farmer increased with the increase in production.

• Reduction in the import of food-grains.

• Dispersal of Rice and Wheat cultivation to non-traditional areas- Green Revolution spread the Rice cultivation to the semi-arid areas of Punjab, Haryana and Western Uttar Pradesh, and the wheat cultivation has spread to the areas of Eastern Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and some parts of Maharashtra, Gujarat and West Bengal.

• Industrial Growth- Due to the large-scale mechanisation which was brought by Green Revolution, demand for different types of machines like tractors, harvesters, combines etc increased and along with increased demand in fertilizers, insecticide, pesticide etc, the growth spurt in the industries producing these items.

• Rural Employment- Large no. of farm labourer migrated from the areas like Eastern Uttar Pradesh, Bihar to Punjab, where they got better employment opportunities.

Thus it can be said that Green Revolution was aimed to achieve self-reliance in food production