essay on green revolution in 1000 words

25,000+ students realised their study abroad dream with us. Take the first step today

Meet top uk universities from the comfort of your home, here’s your new year gift, one app for all your, study abroad needs, start your journey, track your progress, grow with the community and so much more.

Verification Code

An OTP has been sent to your registered mobile no. Please verify

Thanks for your comment !

Our team will review it before it's shown to our readers.

School Education /

Green Revolution Essay in 100, 200, and 500 Words

Updated on
Feb 26, 2024

Norman Borlaug, an American Agronomist, is regarded as the father of the Green Revolution. His scientific methods of introducing modern agricultural techniques allowed the world to sustain agricultural production. In India, M.S. Swaminathan is known as the father of the green revolution.

Green Revolution essay requires you to write compelling details about its history, early developments, modern techniques used, how it helped with production, etc. In this article, we will discuss some samples of Green Revolution essays.

Table of Contents

1 Green Revolution Essay in 100 Words
2 Green Revolution Essay in 200 Words
3.1 Green Revolution in India
3.2 Challenges and Concerns

Master the art of essay writing with our blog on How to Write an Essay in English

Green Revolution Essay in 100 Words

‘Agriculture is one of the most popular essay topics in school and higher education. Several reasons make agriculture an important point of discussion, as it forms the basis of economic, social, and environmental aspects of countries. A country with a surplus amount of agricultural production not only sustains its population but also exports products to different countries.

Major developments in the agricultural sector started in the 1950s when modern technologies to increase production were introduced. However, an American agronomist, Norman Borlaug , changed the entire agricultural market, by introducing the Green Revolution. In India, it was Dr. M.S. Swaminathan, who is credited with the development of agricultural production and was given the title of the Father of Green Revolution in India.’

Also Read: Essay on Cleanliness for School Students

Green Revolution Essay in 200 Words

‘Green revolution refers to the introduction of modern technologies to increase agricultural productivity. The credit for the Green Revolution is given to Norman Borlaug , who, in the 1960s, conducted multiple studies to increase farm productivity. Norman’s research focused on two aspects; to increase agricultural production and enhance the food quality.

Agricultural production is the primary source of food for humans and various other animals. It provides a diverse range of crops, livestock, and other food products necessary for sustaining human life. A reliable and sufficient agricultural sector is essential for ensuring food security and preventing hunger.

In India, M.S. Swaminathan is regarded as the Father of the Green Revolution. His scientific methods and studies allowed India to increase its agricultural production and become a sustainable country. Swaminathan’s efforts also contributed to India’s economic growth. In India, more than 50% of the population is employed in agriculture or related occupations. These people were able to extract natural resources to their full potential with the modern techniques introduced by MS Swaminathan.

Today, India is the largest producer of milk, pulses, and jute. Not only this, India is the second largest producer of rice, wheat, sugarcane, groundnut, vegetables, fruit, and cotton. The Green Revolution was a transformative phase in the history of India and the world, where agricultural production was able to sustain the entire population.’

Also Read: Essay on Save Trees: Trees for Generations

Green Revolution Essay in 500 Words

‘The Green Revolution was the period of agricultural transformation where modern approaches were introduced for high-yielding crop varieties, advanced agricultural technologies, and improved management practices. The real game changer was Norman Borlaug, who developed high-yielding varieties of wheat that were resistant to diseases, adapted to different climates, and responsive to fertilizers. His efforts earned him the title of ‘Father of the Green Revolution.’

The high-yielding crop varieties, coupled with the use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides, revolutionized farming methods. Simultaneously, mechanization and irrigation practices were also developed, which played a crucial role in enhancing productivity. These developments transformed the farmers from traditional, subsistence-oriented practices to intensive, commercially driven agriculture.

Green Revolution in India

In India, the situation was quite different. India is naturally blessed with the most fertile land on the earth, which allows us to grow two types of crops on the same soil. The cropping pattern in India is different into different groups; Rabi, Kharif, and Zaid. An Indian Agroscientist, MS Swaminathan, took on the arduous task of introducing modern techniques and high-yielding varieties of wheat and rice.

To support the high-yielding varieties, there was a simultaneous effort to expand irrigation facilities across the country. The construction of dams, canals, and tube wells helped ensure a more reliable water supply for crops, reducing dependence on monsoon rains.

The Green Revolution promoted the use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides to enhance soil fertility and protect crops from pests and diseases. This approach aimed at maximizing yields through intensive agricultural practices.

One of the primary achievements of the Green Revolution was a substantial increase in agricultural productivity. India transformed from a food-deficient nation to achieving self-sufficiency in food production, particularly in wheat and rice.

The increased production of food grains contributed significantly to improving food security in the country. The availability of staple crops increased, leading to a more stable food supply and reduced dependence on imports.

The Green Revolution had positive economic implications. Increased agricultural productivity contributed to rural development, reduced poverty, and provided a foundation for overall economic growth.

Challenges and Concerns

The Green Revolution also had some negative effects. The intensive use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides raised environmental concerns, leading to issues such as soil degradation, water pollution, and loss of biodiversity.

Social and economic disparities emerged due to the uneven distribution of land and other resources. Large landowners and farmers with access to resources benefited more than small and marginal farmers, contributing to social and economic disparities.

The expansion of irrigation, particularly through groundwater extraction, led to concerns about the depletion of water resources in certain regions.

The emphasis on high-yielding varieties of a limited number of crops, primarily wheat and rice, has led to concerns about the lack of crop diversity and its impact on long-term sustainability.

The Green Revolution was a game-changer in agriculture and its related activities. It generated employment, made countries self-sustained, introduced modern technologies, and several others. But there were certain challenges also which cannot be overlooked. Therefore, it is important to have a more realistic and environmentally sustainable approach for making agricultural production.

Also Read: Essay on Beat Plastic Pollution for School Students

Ans: The Green Revolution was the period of agricultural transformation where modern approaches were introduced for high-yielding crop varieties, advanced agricultural technologies, and improved management practices. The real game changer was Norman Borlaug, who developed high-yielding varieties of wheat that were resistant to diseases, adapted to different climates, and responsive to fertilizers. His efforts earned him the title of ‘Father of the Green Revolution.’

Ans: M.S. Swaminathan is the father of the Green Revolution in India.

Ans: The Green Revolution refers to agricultural transformation by the introduction of high-yielding crop varieties. M.S. Swaminathan introduced the Green Revolution in 1965. On the other hand, the White Revolution refers to the production of milk and other dairy products. Verghese Kurian is regarded as the father of the White Revolution in India.

For more information on such interesting topics, visit our essay writing page and follow Leverage Edu.

Shiva Tyagi

With an experience of over a year, I've developed a passion for writing blogs on wide range of topics. I am mostly inspired from topics related to social and environmental fields, where you come up with a positive outcome.

Connect With Us

25,000+ students realised their study abroad dream with us. Take the first step today.

Resend OTP in

Need help with?

Study abroad.

UK, Canada, US & More

IELTS, GRE, GMAT & More

Scholarship, Loans & Forex

Country Preference

New Zealand

Which English test are you planning to take?

Which academic test are you planning to take.

Not Sure yet

When are you planning to take the exam?

Already booked my exam slot

Within 2 Months

Want to learn about the test

Which Degree do you wish to pursue?

When do you want to start studying abroad.

January 2024

September 2024

What is your budget to study abroad?

How would you describe this article ?

Please rate this article

We would like to hear more.

Have something on your mind?

Make your study abroad dream a reality in January 2022 with

India's Biggest Virtual University Fair

Essex Direct Admission Day

Why attend .

Don't Miss Out

Green Revolution Essay for Students and Children

Green revolution essay.

Green Revolution is actually the process of increasing agricultural production by using modern machines and techniques. It was a scientific research-based technology initiative performed between 1950 and the late 1960s, that increased agricultural production worldwide, particularly in the developing world, beginning most markedly in the late 1960s. It used HYV seeds, increased use of fertilizer and more technical methods of irrigation to increase the production of food grains.

Green Revolution in India

In India Green Revolution commenced in the early 1960s 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. The Green revolution is revolutionary in character due to the introduction of new technology, new ideas, the new application of inputs like HYV seeds, fertilizers, irrigation water, pesticides, etc. As all these were brought suddenly and spread quickly to attain dramatic results thus it is termed as a revolution in green agriculture.

Statistical Results

A record grain output in 1978-79 around 131 million tons occurred due to the Green Revolution. Hence, it made India as one of the world’s biggest agricultural producer. In India Green Revolution recorded a high level of success. India also became an exporter of food grains around that time.

Get the huge list of more than 500 Essay Topics and Ideas

Economic Results

Crop areas under this project needed more water, more fertilizers , more pesticides, and certain other chemicals. This increased the growth of the local manufacturing sector. Increased industrial growth created new jobs and contributed to the country’s GDP . The increase in irrigation created the need for new dams to harness monsoon water. The stored water was used to create hydro-electric power. All of this resulted in industrial growth, created jobs and improved the quality of life of the people in villages.

Sociological Results

This new technology used frequent application of water, fertilizers, insecticides , larger volumes of transportation, electricity, etc. Not only the agricultural workers but also industrial workers got plenty of jobs because of the creation of facilities such as factories, hydro-electric power stations, etc. to back up the revolution.

Political Results

One of the most important factors that made Mrs. Indira Gandhi (1917-1984) and her party the Indian National Congress, a very powerful political force in India is this Green Revolution. India transformed itself from a starving nation to an exporter of food. This gave India admiration and appreciation from all over the world, especially from the Third world country.

Disadvantages of the Green Revolution

The negative social effect of the Revolution was also soon visible. Disparities in income have been widened by these innovations in agriculture. Rich landlords have control over the agricultural input and improved chemical fertilizers. The worst part is that the poor farmers found themselves handicapped by small farms of land and inadequate water supply. With complete agricultural techniques and inputs, the Green revaluation tended to have its most concentrated application on large farms.

As a concentration of the new technology to large farms, the Inequalities have further Increased. The poor farmers have been adversely affected by a growing tendency among the rich farmers to reclaim land previously leased out under tenancy agreement, which has been made profitable by higher returns from new technology.

The poor and backward class of farmers has been increasingly pushed into the rank of the landless laborer. A drastic increase in a higher level of rent with land value soaring. Also because of excessive use of fertilizers soil started to become alkaline or acidic depending upon the nature of the fertilizer used.

India has made a huge achievement in term of the Green Revolution, as it has provided an unprecedented level of food security. It has pulled a large number of poor people out of poverty and helped many non-poor people avoid the poverty and hunger they would have experienced had it not taken place. This revolution has saved over a billion people all over the world from famine.

Customize your course in 30 seconds

Which class are you in.

Travelling Essay
Picnic Essay
Our Country Essay
My Parents Essay
Essay on Favourite Personality
Essay on Memorable Day of My Life
Essay on Knowledge is Power
Essay on Gurpurab
Essay on My Favourite Season
Essay on Types of Sports

Download the App

Talk to our experts

1800-120-456-456

Green Revolution Essay

Essay on Green Revolution

The Green Revolution is the way toward expanding rural creation by utilizing current machines and strategies. It was a logical exploration-based innovation activity performed in 1950 and the last part of the 1960s, that expanded rural creation around the world, especially in the creating scene, starting most extraordinarily in the last part of the 1960s. It utilized HYV seeds, expanded utilization of compost, and more specialized strategies for the water systems to build the creation of food grains. This Green Revolution Essay will help us understand the benefits and impacts of the movement in different sectors.

The Green Revolution in India started somewhere around the mid-1960sand it prompted an expansion in the creation of food grain, particularly in the areas of Punjab, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh. Significant achievements of this included the improvement of high-yielding assortments of wheat. The Green transformation is said to be progressive due to the presentation of innovations, new thoughts, new ideas and the new use of information sources like HYV seeds, composts, water system water, pesticides, etc.

In India, the results of the Green Revolution are significant as India has an agricultural-based economy. It is, therefore, easier to understand the effects of the movement better through the results that we interpret from the statistics in India.

Economic Results

Harvest zones required more water, more manures, more pesticides, and certain different synthetics. And this expanded the development of the nearby assembling division. Modern development made new openings and this added to the nation's GDP. The put-away water was utilized and this made up to make hydro-electric force. This brought about mechanical development, made new positions. The Green Revolution has significantly contributed to every country's GDP where it has taken place.

The Green Revolution has helped a lot of the needy people out of destitution, and have also helped numerous other individuals dodge the neediness and yearning they would have encountered had it not happened.

Green Revolution in India

The Green Revolution started in the mid-1960s that prompted an expansion in food grain creation, particularly in Punjab, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh. Significant achievements in this endeavour were the improvement of high-yielding assortments of wheat. The Green transformation is progressive because of the presentation of innovation, novel thoughts, the new use of information sources like HYV seeds, composts, water system water, pesticides, and so forth. As all these were brought out of nowhere and spread rapidly to accomplish sensational outcomes in this way, it is named as an upset in green agribusiness. The essay on Green Revolution provides details behind this movement and its significant outcomes along with the disadvantages faced by every country due to this movement. In India, these results are a bit more significant as India is an agricultural-based country by nature. Hence, we can understand the effects of the movement better through the results that we interpret from the statistics in India.

Harvest zones under this task required more water, more manures, more pesticides, and certain different synthetics. This expanded the development of the nearby assembling division. Expanded modern development made new openings and added to the nation's GDP. The expansion in the water system made the requirement for new dams to bridle rainstorm water. The put-away water was utilized to make hydroelectric force. The entirety of this brought about mechanical development, made positions, and improved the personal satisfaction of the individuals in towns. The Green Revolution has significantly contributed to every country's GDP where it has taken place.

Disadvantages

The negative social impact of the Revolution was likewise soon obvious. Variations in salary have been enlarged by these developments in agribusiness. Rich landowners have power over the agrarian info and improved compound composts. The most noticeably awful part is that the helpless ranchers ended up crippled by little homesteads of land and lacking water gracefully. With complete agrarian strategies and sources of info, the Green revolution would, in general, have its most focused application on huge ranches.

As a centralization of the innovation to enormous ranches, the Inequalities have additionally Increased. A developing inclination has antagonistically influenced the helpless ranchers among the rich ranchers to recover land recently rented out under-occupancy understanding, which has been made productive by more significant yields from an innovation.

Poor people and the lower class of farmers have been progressively driven into the position of the landless worker—an uncommon increment in a more elevated level of the lease with land esteem taking off. Additionally, because of extreme utilization of composts soil began to become soluble or acidic, relying on the idea of the manure utilized.

Short Paragraph on Green Revolution

The essay of Green Revolution alludes to a critical increment in the volume of horticultural creation and efficiency through a selection of better quality seeds, substance manures, pesticides, and bug sprays, and guaranteed water system offices during a brief timeframe. During the mid-sixties, this HYV innovation was embraced in Indian farming to help with the creation of food grains.

This new agrarian improvement technique was first supported by the Ford Foundation, and it was specifically executed in 16 agronomically created regions. This program was first known as the Intensive Agricultural Development Program (IADP). The IADP was altered in the year 1964-65, and another plan Intensive Agricultural Area Program (IAAP) was actualized. The fundamental elements of the new methodology are:

(I) High Yielding Variety seeds

(ii) Chemical composts

(iii) Pesticides

(iv) Insecticides

(v) Assured water system offices and

(vi) Better social practices.

The program has been impressively altered with the progression of time and now the dry territories and the bumpy zones have now been secured under the new farming technique. In this short paragraph on Green Revolution, we come to know about the principal methodologies used behind this movement.

The Green Revolution has pulled countless needy individuals out of destitution and helped numerous non-needy individuals dodge the neediness and yearning they would have encountered had it not occurred. This upset has spared over a billion people everywhere in the world from starvation.

FAQs on Green Revolution Essay

1. Define AGRA, with context to this essay?

The Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa, which was set up in 2006, is an African based foundation that puts the smallholder ranchers at the centre point of the developing economy of the mainland by changing the agribusiness from a small single business to a business that will flourish. This change is only possible through reasonable efficiency increments and allowance of inventive accounts and markets to accomplish the potential of agribusiness dependably to make it an alternative to youth work creation.

2. What are the advantages of the Green Revolution, according to this essay?

The harvest index was one progress that was made in plant advances due to the Green Revolution, which indicates the over the ground weight of the harvest. During the Revolution, plants with the biggest seeds were utilized to make the most creation conceivable. Following this cycle of specific rearing, the bigger the seeds were, the more grain could be developed with each harvest. The over the ground crops at that point lead to an expansion in photosynthate assignment for the yield itself. The yields had the option to photosynthesize more effectively by boosting the seed of the plant.

3. What is IADP?

The intensive Agricultural Development Program (IADP) was altered in the year 1964-65, and a new plan, the Intensive Agricultural Area Program (IAAP) was actualized. The main elements of this new methodology are:

The High Yielding Variety seeds;

The Chemical composts;

The use of Pesticides;

Use of Insecticides;

Assured water system offices and

Better social practices.

This program was altered with, and according to the progression of time.

4. Mention some negative effects of the Green Revolution.

Negative effects are as follows:

There have been variations in salary by these developments in the agribusiness. The helpless ranchers ended up crippled by little homesteads of land and lacking water. With complete agrarian strategies and sources of information, the Green revolution would have its most focused application on huge ranches where the Inequalities have additionally Increased. Poor people and the lower class of farmers have been progressively driven into the position of the landless worker, an uncommon increment in a more elevated level of the lease with land esteem taking off. Due to the extreme utilization of compost, the soil began to become soluble or acidic, relying on the idea of the manure utilized.

5. Where can I get study notes on the Green Revolution essay?

Essay writing is important and it is also necessary to be able to practice some of the important questions and sample essays. The online portal, Vedantu.com offers important questions along with answers and other very helpful study material on essays of The Green Revolution, which have been formulated in a well structured, well researched, and easy to understand manner. These study materials and solutions are all important and are very easily accessible from Vedantu.com and can be downloaded for free.

India’s Largest Career Transformation Portal

Green Revolution Essay for Students in English

January 17, 2022 by Sandeep

Essay on Green Revolution: The beginning of the 1960’s witnessed enormous growth in food production in India, particularly in northern regions like Punjab, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh. New varieties of high-yielding crops increased with innovation in technology, better seeds, irrigation practices, and farm pesticides. A massive record of 131 million tons output was gained during this period, referred to as the Green Revolution. Mrs. Indira Gandhi’s consistent efforts and the Indian National Congress Party-led to this revolution.

Green Revolution Essay

“Food is the moral right of all who are born into this world.” – Norman Borlaug

The Green Revolution took place in the 1950’s and 1960’s. It was extremely popular in developing countries, including India. It is said to be founded by the administrator, M. S. Swaminathan. The Green Revolution changed the way agriculture was carried out and practised. It made farming an industry. There was the introduction of High Yielding Variety seeds, irrigation facilities, tractors, fertilizers and other forms of mechanization.

The areas that benefited the most and produced the highest agricultural crop of rice and wheat in India included Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh. Because of the green revolution, the country had an abundant amount of food grains and did not have to depend on imports from other countries anymore.

Essential Components of the Green Revolution

High Yielding Variety (HYV) seeds were considered the single most prominent contribution of the green revolution. These seeds were highly responsive to chemical fertilizers and grew at the double speed. Their leaves were much more expansive, thus enhancing the process of photosynthesis. They could resist wind damage, and the maturing cycle for the crops was significantly shortened.

Because of the irregular and unseasonal rainfall nature in India, a system of proper irrigation became very vital for farmers. The importance of groundwater rather than surface water was emphasized. Groundwater was made available at all times to a farmer by the use of a pump or a tube well. Other significant contributions to the green revolution include insecticides and pesticides, rural electrification, agricultural universities, etc.

Impact of the Green Revolution

Due to the green revolution, India doubled its crop production. Wheat was the only crop that tripled in its production. The green revolution is also regarded as grain revolution and wheat revolution in India. Because of such mass production, farmers could reap the profits of commercialization, and they became prosperous with increased earnings. India became self-sufficient in food grains and not only had it stopped importing, but it had also become eligible for export.

Even after the population increased, the country’s per capita net availability remained appropriate. Due to farming at such a large scale with various specialised inputs, new industries could flourish. Newer industries and factories were set up to meet the increasing demand for insecticides, weedicides, chemical fertilizers, etc. There was a fear in people that the jobs of labour would be cut due to the shift to mechanization, but instead, the green revolution made it possible for more than 15 lakh Indians to get job opportunities because of the multiple cropping patterns.

The green revolution made it possible to keep the economy’s food prices low. The demand and supply phenomenon generally controls prices for a particular good in a nation. Because the stock with the help of HYV seeds was always so high, there was abundant food available for everyone, so prices remained low.

Essay on Green Revolution in English for Children and Students – 2023

Table of Contents

Essay on Green Revolution: The term Green Revolution is used to express the introduction of new farming techniques like high yielding seeds, fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides, use of farm equipments like tractors, farm tools and other machineries. Green Revolution has increased the production of crops and has also improved its quality. Introduced to the world in 1950s by Norman Borlaug and the Ford Foundation, it has proved extremely helpful for developing nations like India, Africa and Brazil etc.

Fill Out the Form for Expert Academic Guidance!

Please indicate your interest Live Classes Books Test Series Self Learning

Verify OTP Code (required)

I agree to the terms and conditions and privacy policy .

Fill complete details

Target Exam ---

Short and Long Essay on Green Revolution in English

We have provided below short and long essay on Green Revolution for your information and knowledge. The essays have been written in simple yet effective English language so that you can easily memorize all the vital information and also present the same when required. After going through these essays, you will know what green revolution means, who is the father of green revolution in world, who is considered the father of green revolution in India, effects of Green Revolution, and advantages and disadvantages of green revolution etc. The essays will be helpful in your school/college assignments and competitions like speech giving, essay writing or debate.

Green Revolution Essay 1 (200 Words)

Green Revolution began in the world sometime into 1950s and reached India in early 1960s; though, its prominent effects were only visible by the late 1960s.

The Government of India under the Prime Minister Sri Lal Bahadur Shastri invited a bunch of experts sponsored by the Ford foundation to study India’s agriculture scenario and suggest methods for its improvement. In 1959 the team submitted the report titled “India’s Food Crisis and the Steps to meet it”.

The report suggested modernization of agriculture sector with introduction of new farm techniques, farming equipments, fertilizers, credit system and pesticides etc.

Based on the suggestion provided in the report, the Government of India introduced Intensive Area Development Program (IADP) in 1960, only in seven selected districts of India. They were West Godavari in Andhra Pradesh; Raipur in Chhattisgarh; Shahabad in Bihar; Aligarh in Uttar Pradesh; Pali in Rajasthan and Thanjavaur in Tamil Nadu.

In these places high yielding varieties of rice and wheat were introduced with fertilizers and pesticides. The results were extremely overwhelming causing an increase in not only the crop yield but also its quality as well.

This new strategy was put into widespread use in India during the Kharif season of 1966. It was named as the High Yielding Varieties Program (HYVP).

Green Revolution Essay 2 (300 Words)

Introduction

Green Revolution is a term used to express the transfer of technology, in the agriculture field that took place in late 1960s. It opened new horizons of scientific methods into agriculture, resulting in better and more reliable crop yield. Green Revolution mainly helped the developing nations meet their food requirements and strengthen the condition of farmers.

Green Revolution in India

Green Revolution in India refers to the adoption of new farm techniques such as the use of high yielding variety (HYV) seeds, irrigation facilities, tractors, fertilizers, pesticides etc.

An Indian Geneticist and administrator M.S. Swaminathan a.k.a Mankombu Sambasivan Swaminathan is considered as the father of Green Revolution in India.

It was under his guidance and supervision that High Yielding Varieties of rice and wheat started being cultivated in India. The vision of M.S. Swaminathan was to get the world rid of hunger and poverty.

Swaminathan actually termed it as “Evergreen Revolution” and advocated sustainable development, sustainable agriculture, food security and elimination of hunger and poverty.

The Green Revolution in India commenced sometime in 1958 and tremendously benefited the farmers of Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, by introducing high yielding varieties of wheat and rice.

Other practices of Green Revolution in India includes infrastructure of irrigation, use of pesticides, fertilizers, insecticides, herbicides etc. It also opened way for Indian land reforms and improvement of rural infrastructure.

Green Revolution in India was extremely helpful to the farming community apart from improving the condition of farmers and boosting the economy of the nation. Industrial development, better village infrastructure, employment generation, food security, improved financial condition of farmers, more and better crop yield are only few of the many advantages of Green Revolution.

Green Revolution Essay 3 (400 Words)

Green Revolution refers to a phenomenal change in the method of agriculture production that happened in the late 1960s. It was basically a technology sharing initiative which involved use of High Yielding Varieties (HYV) of Cereals, chemical fertilizers, water supply methods and mechanical equipments. Green Revolution was highly beneficial for the developing countries and resulted in better yield, better quality of produces among other advantages.

Effects of Green Revolution

1) Increase in Production

The methods adopted in the Green Revolution resulted in extremely favorable conditions for the crop to grow. Use of chemic fertilizers, pesticides and other chemicals ensure that the crop faces less threat from pests and grows continuously without any hindrance.

2) Food Security

More crop yield and more resilience of crops towards changes in climate, pests and other threats have resulted in food security in the countries where Green Revolution is being practiced. Greater crop yield means less people sleep hungry and the nutritional demand of everyone is met.

3) Scientific Practices

The most important effect of Green Revolution is the practice of scientific methods rather than traditional methods in agriculture. Farmers are now using High Yield Variety (HYV) of seeds instead of traditional farm seeds. Also, traditional fertilizers are replaced by chemical fertilizers, boosting the yield.

4) Industrial Development

Green Revolution has led to industrial development, generating more employment and boosting economy. Industries producing fertilizers, pesticides, agricultural machinery, insecticides are set up in the country where green revolution is being practiced.

5) Confident Farmers

Today the farmers have become more confident than before as their yield has become more and more independent of external factors; thanks to the Global Warming . Farmer of today knows that he will be able to produce good quality of crops by adopting new techniques and also that the produces are safe from pests and insects. This has caused a phenomenal change in the confidence of farmers and has also let them think out of the box.

Green Revolution is a big name in the agriculture industry and has helped the developing countries a lot to meet their food requirements and also boost their economical statistics. Apart from resulting in more and better crop yield, the green revolution has also resulted in improving the social and economical condition of the farmers. Farmer, who is a part of Green Revolution, is more confident of his yield and its quality as well as of his own financial condition.

Green Revolution Essay 4 (500 Words)

The term “Green Revolution” is used to describe a global technology transfer initiative also termed as Transfer of Technology (TOT) that took place in 1960s in the field of agriculture. It immensely benefitted the developing countries during that time like Mexico, Brazil, Africa and India. Green Revolution paved way for the adoption of new technology in agriculture, leading to its industrialization.

Advantages of Green Revolution

Sharing of technology in the field of agriculture had many advantages including high yield per area, better quality of crops, and controlled water supply for irrigation among others. Some of the advantages of Green Revolution are stated below.

1) More Crop Yield per Area

Adaptation of new farming technologies and chemical fertilizers, tractors, pesticides etc have resulted in more crop yield over a particular area. Today, the world over, 20% more crops are being produced than what is required by the world’s population. This has been made possible only due to the changes brought by the Green Revolution.

2) Consistent Yield

Green Revolution has caused the yield to be consistent making it more resilient towards seasonal changes. Before the green revolution crops would depend highly on seasonal conditions and even a minor shift in rain or other conditions would considerably reduce the yield. But, thanks to the green revolution, due to the adoption of new farming techniques and support system, yield today is less dependent on climatic conditions.

3) Poverty Reduction

Green Revolution reduces the poverty levels in the country where it is practiced. Adoption of new farming techniques continuously generates new employment opportunities in agriculture and related sectors. Also the increase in the crop yield helps in tackling the hunger situation domestically.

Disadvantages of Green Revolution

Despite having numerous advantages, Green Revolution also has its own disadvantages as discussed below.

1) Harmful to Biodiversity

Green Revolution has opened up way for the use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides. Though, they are beneficial for the crops, they are not good for the biodiversity of the region. The chemicals got washed into the natural water resources such as ground water, streams, lakes etc and pose a threat to the existence of flora and fauna. Some of the highly susceptible species of fish and animals have known to be declined because of the use of chemical fertilizers.

2) Health Hazards

Green Revolution poses a health hazard to humans due to exposure to harmful chemical fertilizers and pesticides. A direct exposure to chemicals used in farming, added by a lack of safe farming practices could lead to some of the most deadly diseases like cancer. Reportedly, over 20,000 people are killed globally because of over exposure to chemicals and also for not wearing masks.

Green Revolution brought a significant change in the world agriculture industry. It helped the developing countries a lot by improving their yield and the quality of it. Still, there is a need to regularly improve Green Revolution if we have to cope with the changing times

22.1: Green Revolution

Last updated
Save as PDF
Page ID 132599

\( \newcommand{\vecs}[1]{\overset { \scriptstyle \rightharpoonup} {\mathbf{#1}} } \)

\( \newcommand{\vecd}[1]{\overset{-\!-\!\rightharpoonup}{\vphantom{a}\smash {#1}}} \)

\( \newcommand{\id}{\mathrm{id}}\) \( \newcommand{\Span}{\mathrm{span}}\)

( \newcommand{\kernel}{\mathrm{null}\,}\) \( \newcommand{\range}{\mathrm{range}\,}\)

\( \newcommand{\RealPart}{\mathrm{Re}}\) \( \newcommand{\ImaginaryPart}{\mathrm{Im}}\)

\( \newcommand{\Argument}{\mathrm{Arg}}\) \( \newcommand{\norm}[1]{\| #1 \|}\)

\( \newcommand{\inner}[2]{\langle #1, #2 \rangle}\)

\( \newcommand{\Span}{\mathrm{span}}\)

\( \newcommand{\id}{\mathrm{id}}\)

\( \newcommand{\kernel}{\mathrm{null}\,}\)

\( \newcommand{\range}{\mathrm{range}\,}\)

\( \newcommand{\RealPart}{\mathrm{Re}}\)

\( \newcommand{\ImaginaryPart}{\mathrm{Im}}\)

\( \newcommand{\Argument}{\mathrm{Arg}}\)

\( \newcommand{\norm}[1]{\| #1 \|}\)

\( \newcommand{\Span}{\mathrm{span}}\) \( \newcommand{\AA}{\unicode[.8,0]{x212B}}\)

\( \newcommand{\vectorA}[1]{\vec{#1}} % arrow\)

\( \newcommand{\vectorAt}[1]{\vec{\text{#1}}} % arrow\)

\( \newcommand{\vectorB}[1]{\overset { \scriptstyle \rightharpoonup} {\mathbf{#1}} } \)

\( \newcommand{\vectorC}[1]{\textbf{#1}} \)

\( \newcommand{\vectorD}[1]{\overrightarrow{#1}} \)

\( \newcommand{\vectorDt}[1]{\overrightarrow{\text{#1}}} \)

\( \newcommand{\vectE}[1]{\overset{-\!-\!\rightharpoonup}{\vphantom{a}\smash{\mathbf {#1}}}} \)

The Green Revolution

Beginning in the 1960s, at a research station in Mexico, the Green Revolution would start. Here, Norman Borlaug developed a disease-resistant strain of dwarf wheat that increased yields of the grain worldwide, especially in developing nations facing high population growth and the threat of famine. At that time, Mexicans had been not been planting much wheat because

a fungus, called 'stem rust' reduced their yields so much they couldn’t make a living
the plants grew too tall when heavily fertilized and then “lodged” or fell over prior to harvest

The process to create a new strain took ten years and over 6,000 cross-breeding experiments with different types of wheat. Once a new variety was created, scientists discovered it could be planted twice a year. Between 1950 and 2000, Mexican wheat yields increased between 400% and 500%.

In the 1960s, the program was exported to India, which was facing famine. Even though the United States farmers shipped a fifth of their wheat production to India, it simply was not enough. India’s population had crossed the 500-million mark in 1966, and crossed 700 million in the early months of 1981. (Today, the population is 1.38 billion). With the Borlaug seed program, India became self-sufficient in all cereal grains and the USAID (US Agency for International Development) began calling Borlaug’s work a Green Revolution. Since the 1960s India’s food production has increased faster than population growth. By 2000, India was producing 76.4 million tons of wheat.

India’s improved crop yields have made it a net exporter of wheat. The nation’s exceptional agricultural turnaround was made possible by Borlaug’s new wheat, as well as the extensive use of fertilizer, irrigation, and machinery. The improved crop and techniques have prevented up to 100 million acres of virgin land from being converted to farmland. This savings amounts to 13.6% of India’s land, or about the area of California in the United States. Borlaug had predicted that as the world population continued to rise, only new crops and improved farming techniques would save the world’s remaining forests and uncultivated lands.

Although the Green Revolution has undoubtedly saved lives and allowed populations to increase dramatically, Borlaug and the Green Revolution have been criticized for bringing capital- and energy-intensive western agricultural techniques to regions of the world that had once relied on subsistence farming. Western-style farming tends to reward large-scale operators, manufacturers of agrochemicals, and machinery. Widening social inequality and expanding farmer debt has led to issues like the suicide crisis in India.

Activists, such as Vandana Shiva, have argued that 80% of the world’s population is actually fed by the produce of subsistence farmers rather than the industrialized agriculture highlighted in the Green Revolution. If this is true, then maybe the claims of the “revolution” are overblown.

Shiva claims that the number one factor in the rapid improvement of yields in India has been increased water use , not fertilizers or Borlaug’s “miracle seed”. In addition, she believes this increased irrigation is unsustainable, based on the rapidly sinking water table across much of India. She further charges that by using language like “miracle seed”, the Green Revolution has become more a mythology than scientific, data-driven reality.

Lastly, Shiva is an important activist against Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs). Although Borlaug’s dwarf wheat was not produced by the types of genetic manipulations currently used to produce GMO crops, some people still resent it as a human intrusion on nature’s processes. Toward the end of his life, Borlaug criticized people who questioned the Green Revolution as elitists who had never gone hungry. But, he also admitted that although his contribution had helped save many lives, it had not created a Utopia.

school Campus Bookshelves
menu_book Bookshelves
perm_media Learning Objects
login Login
how_to_reg Request Instructor Account
hub Instructor Commons
Download Page (PDF)
Download Full Book (PDF)
Periodic Table
Physics Constants
Scientific Calculator
Reference & Cite
Tools expand_more
Readability

selected template will load here

This action is not available.

15: Green Revolution

Last updated
Save as PDF
Page ID 8286

Dan Allosso
Bemidji State University via Minnesota Libraries Publishing Project

\( \newcommand{\vecs}[1]{\overset { \scriptstyle \rightharpoonup} {\mathbf{#1}} } \)

\( \newcommand{\vecd}[1]{\overset{-\!-\!\rightharpoonup}{\vphantom{a}\smash {#1}}} \)

\( \newcommand{\id}{\mathrm{id}}\) \( \newcommand{\Span}{\mathrm{span}}\)

( \newcommand{\kernel}{\mathrm{null}\,}\) \( \newcommand{\range}{\mathrm{range}\,}\)

\( \newcommand{\RealPart}{\mathrm{Re}}\) \( \newcommand{\ImaginaryPart}{\mathrm{Im}}\)

\( \newcommand{\Argument}{\mathrm{Arg}}\) \( \newcommand{\norm}[1]{\| #1 \|}\)

\( \newcommand{\inner}[2]{\langle #1, #2 \rangle}\)

\( \newcommand{\Span}{\mathrm{span}}\)

\( \newcommand{\id}{\mathrm{id}}\)

\( \newcommand{\kernel}{\mathrm{null}\,}\)

\( \newcommand{\range}{\mathrm{range}\,}\)

\( \newcommand{\RealPart}{\mathrm{Re}}\)

\( \newcommand{\ImaginaryPart}{\mathrm{Im}}\)

\( \newcommand{\Argument}{\mathrm{Arg}}\)

\( \newcommand{\norm}[1]{\| #1 \|}\)

\( \newcommand{\Span}{\mathrm{span}}\) \( \newcommand{\AA}{\unicode[.8,0]{x212B}}\)

\( \newcommand{\vectorA}[1]{\vec{#1}} % arrow\)

\( \newcommand{\vectorAt}[1]{\vec{\text{#1}}} % arrow\)

\( \newcommand{\vectorB}[1]{\overset { \scriptstyle \rightharpoonup} {\mathbf{#1}} } \)

\( \newcommand{\vectorC}[1]{\textbf{#1}} \)

\( \newcommand{\vectorD}[1]{\overrightarrow{#1}} \)

\( \newcommand{\vectorDt}[1]{\overrightarrow{\text{#1}}} \)

\( \newcommand{\vectE}[1]{\overset{-\!-\!\rightharpoonup}{\vphantom{a}\smash{\mathbf {#1}}}} \)

In the last few chapters, we have seen Americans spread across the continent. Beginning with the original thirteen colonies, the history of the United States often seems to be a straightforward story of expansion westward. After a Revolution motivated partly by the colonists’ resistance to the Crown’s restrictive Proclamation, citizens of the new nation took full advantage of opportunities provided by the Northwest Ordinance, the Louisiana Purchase, the Mexican-American War, and the Oregon Treaty, to seek their fortunes on the frontier. Expansion was achieved partly by hardworking farmers, ranchers, and miners on the countryside, and partly by urban wage-workers and businesses in new western cities. These pioneers were aided by capital from eastern and overseas financial markets, by improving transportation networks, and by eastern city workers and capitalists who processed and consumed the products of fields, forests, and mines.

But not all the significant movement in American History was east to west. The growth of eastern cities depended on resources acquired on the frontier, so the flow of raw materials like farm products, timber, and minerals (which we will examine in Chapter Twelve) from west to east was vitally important to the nation’s growth. The ideal of Manifest Destiny was as much about securing access to these resources as it was about planting the stars and stripes from sea to shining sea. And sometimes, important changes actually originated in the west, and expanded eastward.

The expansion and growth of both the West and the East depended on the ability of farmers to continue producing food for the nation’s growing population and for export. The biggest single factor in the continuing farm bonanza was soil fertility. In the 1840s, German chemist Justus von Liebig discovered that the chemicals nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium were essential to plant growth. Farm soils naturally lose fertility unless fields are given time to regenerate between crop plantings or amendments are added. Liebig announced that instead of leaving fields fallow for years between crop plantings, farmers could amend the soil with the chemicals plants needed. We will examine each of these chemicals, beginning with the element often considered the most important soil amendment, nitrogen. During the crucial period when America’s commercial farmers became increasingly responsible for feeding the growing nation, nitrogen came from the west.

Green Manure, Guano, Caliche

When early settlers cut and burned forests to build farms, the thin soils of the forest floors received an initial productivity boost from leaf mulch and from the ashes of burned trees. This fertility was exhausted in a few years unless the farmer rotated crops and pasture or added manure to the soil. The prairie soils later settlers found farther west were deeper and more fertile than eastern forest soils. Tallgrass prairies grew from the Canadian border to Texas, and as the name suggests, some of their grasses grew six to nine feet tall. When Laura Ingalls’s parents told her not to stray too far onto the prairie in the Little House books, it was because they were afraid of losing her in the tall grass.

In addition to being tall, the prairies were deep. After millennia of growth and decay, prairie vegetation had left a layer of humus up to ten feet deep. The roots of perennial grasses took advantage of this depth, drawing water and nutrients from well below the surface. When settlers arrived with their new John Deere cast-steel plows, they only managed to turn over the top foot or so of this organic layer. But even so, the prairie offered some of the richest soils American settlers had ever seen. Western farmers wrote their families and friends back east boasting of the land and the great yields they got farming it.

In the long run, even the most fertile soils will be depleted after years of growing annual crops that don’t return any nutrients. Smaller farms were able to spread manure from livestock, but as their cultivated fields grew from a few acres to a few hundred, most farmers found there was just not enough manure to spread. Commercial farmers, who specialized in growing wheat or corn for the market, began planting their fields with the cash crops every year rather than rotating grain planting with pasture planting for grazing animals that would return at least some manure to the land. A new source of fertility was needed to prevent the agricultural balloon from deflating. The solution was alfalfa, a crop farmers called Chili Clover.

It has long been known that in addition to spreading manure, planting legumes is an effective method of returning nitrogen to the soil. Although nitrogen is the most common element in Earth’s atmosphere, atmospheric nitrogen is very stable and unreactive. Plants cannot use nitrogen until it has been converted to nitrogen oxides, nitrates, or ammonia. Legumes have evolved a symbiotic relationship with Rhizobium bacteria which live in nodules on the plants’ roots and break the bonds of atmospheric nitrogen. When legumes are grown on a field and then plowed under, the nitrogen accumulated in the plants enters the soil and becomes available for the next crop. One of the most effective legume crops used as a green manure is alfalfa.

Alfalfa is native to Eurasia, where Siberian horse tribes began feeding it to their animals over three thousand years ago. Cortés and Pizarro brought alfalfa to Mexico and Peru in the early 1500s and the aggressive species quickly spread to across Central and South America. When English colonists planted alfalfa, which they called lucerne, the plant did poorly in the cool, acidic soils of the Atlantic colonies. After this early failure the plant was forgotten by American farmers. But a Chilean miner introduced alfalfa to California during the Gold Rush. The climates of Chile and California are nearly identical, and the Chili Clover thrived in western pastures, renewing soils and providing ten times the nutrition of regular grasses for the growing dairy herds of California. Impressed by alfalfa’s success in California in the early 1850s, the U.S. Patent Office mailed out thousands of packets of alfalfa seed to farmers across the country. Alfalfa plantings spread eastward from California as the plant was quickly adopted by farmers in Utah, Colorado, Kansas, and Nebraska. Today, the Chilean import is so common in American fields, almost no one remembers it was not a native species.

But some farmers lacked the patience to rotate cropping with pasture, or were unwilling to accept the idea that a significant portion of their farms would be fallow each year. They preferred to amend their soils rather than waiting for fertility to regenerate naturally. But as mentioned, few farmers had access to enough manure to supplement all their soil. The first commercial fertilizers were made from guano, the droppings of seabirds living on islands off the western shores of South America. Guano comes from the Quechua Indian word Wanu , which means any excrement used as a soil additive in farming. The advantage guano had over locally-available manure was that it was dry, light, and highly concentrated. Natives of the Andes have mined guano on the coast and islands for at least 1,500 years, according to archeologists. Spanish colonial records noted that Inca rulers considered protecting the cormorants that were the main source of guano so important, that disturbing the birds’ nesting areas a capital offense. Guano was carried from the coast up into the Andes on the backs of llamas, for use on the terraced farms surrounding highland cities like Machu Picchu.

Although surrounded by ocean, the islands off the western coast of South America are arid. Like the deserts they face on the mainland, some experience no annual rainfall at all. Seabirds such as cormorants and pelicans have lived on these islands by the millions, for thousands of years. Over that time, they’ve left literal mountains of droppings, which due to the lack of rain have simply piled up. The guano contains 8 to 16 percent nitrogen, 8 to 12 percent phosphorus, and 2 to 3 percent potassium, which makes it an excellent fertilizer without any mixing. It simply needs to be chopped off the mountain, ground up, and spread on fields.

Prussian explorer Alexander von Humboldt visited the islands around 1802, and publicized guano’s value as a fertilizer throughout Europe. Seeing a lucrative business opportunity, Europeans and Americans fell on the area in a guano rush, and by the middle of the century several nations had enlisted the work of Chinese peasants in a Pacific labor system that has been compared with the slavery of the Atlantic world. Although the Chinese workers were technically free, many had been tricked into labor contracts promising work in California. Once they reached the guano islands and realized they had been duped, there was no way off. Over a hundred thousand Chinese workers were imported to the islands in the second half of the nineteenth century.

Guano was so profitable that the U.S. Congress passed a Guano Islands Act in 1856. The law provided an incentive for American sailors to find and claim undefended islands for America by giving the discoverer exclusive rights to the guano recovered. Islands claimed under the Guano Islands Act include parts of the Hawaiian chain, Midway Atoll, part of American Samoa, and several islands still disputed with Colombia. The guano islands off the western coast of South America were so valuable that two wars were fought over them. Chile and Peru fought Spain in the Chincha Islands War, 1864-66, and defeated the Spanish Empire. Then, Spain’s claim had been successfully set aside, Chile took many of the guano islands from Peru, along with the nitrate fields of the Atacama Desert, in the War of the Pacific, 1879-83.

Paisajes_cerca_de_Calama_Chile_2016-02-01_DD_84-1024x520.jpg

After about 1870, guano was overtaken as a source of nitrogen by nitrate-rich desert soils called Caliche. These soils were discovered in the Atacama desert, a region regarded as the driest place on earth that lay partly in Chile, partly in Peru, and partly in Bolivia. When all three nations rushed to extract and process the Caliche, Chile challenged its northern rivals for the nitrate fields. Chile’s victory in the War of the Pacific extended its border northwards to encompass the Atacama desert, including all the coastal territory that had belonged to Bolivia. Many ethnic Bolivians living around the port city of Arica still dream of throwing off the Chilean yoke and winning their country access to the Pacific again.

Defeating its northern neighbors in the War of the Pacific made Chile the undisputed power on the west coast of the Americas and generated an economic boom. The nitrate Chile monopolized was valuable both as a fertilizer and as a key ingredient in explosives and munitions. But mining and processing nitrate from Chile’s desert soil required much more capital than digging guano. Chile attracted British investors, and soon joint ventures began shipping a million tons of nitrate per year out of the South American desert. Production grew steadily until 1914, when World War I created new incentives for Britain’s enemies to find an alternative to Caliche nitrate.

Fritz Haber was the German chemist who in 1911 developed the high-pressure method of extracting nitrogen from the atmosphere that is used today to produce nearly all the nitrogen used in industry and agriculture. Carl Bosch, working for German chemical company BASF, scaled up Haber’s laboratory experiment to industrial production. In 1914, BASF produced 20 tons a day for the war effort. After the war, production of synthetic nitrate fertilizer quickly cut prices by more than half, and annual Chilean caliche shipments dropped to less than a third of their 2.5 million ton pre-war volume. Haber and Bosch were each awarded Nobel Prizes for their work in chemistry.

The Haber-Bosch process requires not only extreme high pressures to extract atmospheric nitrogen, but a great deal of energy. Approximately five percent of the world’s production of natural gas is required to produce about 500 million tons of ammonia each year. But the results have been spectacular. The application of concentrated nitrogen to farm fields increased production even over the yields that had been achieved using guano and nitrate, causing a global explosion of crop yields known as the Green Revolution. By 2010, the Haber-Bosch process produced 133 million tons of ammonia annually, about three quarters of which was applied as fertilizer. Corn yields per acre increased five-fold, and other staple crops such as rice saw increases of three or four times. Historian of technology Vaclav Smil estimates that if crop yields had stayed where they were in 1900, by the year 2000 farm fields would have needed to cover at least half the land on the ice-free continents in order to feed the world’s population, rather than the fifteen percent they now occupy. Another way of putting Smil’s point is that nearly half the people alive today would probably starve, without the Haber-Bosch process.

Although he won a Nobel Prize and worldwide admiration for his work leading to nitrogen fertilizers, Fritz Haber’s legacy is clouded with tragedy. In addition to the nitrate Germany required for munitions, Fritz Haber’s other contributions to the German war effort were the chlorine-based chemical warfare agents used against allied troops in World War I and a cyanide-based pesticide called Zyklon A that was a direct predecessor of the poison used against prisoners in the concentration camps during World War II. Haber’s wife, Clara Immerwahr, was also a scientist and was the first woman ever to receive a Ph.D. from the University of Breslau. Immerwahr killed herself with her husband’s gun when she discovered he had supervised the first successful use of chlorine gas at the battle of Ypres in 1915. Their son Hermann emigrated to the U.S. and committed suicide in 1946 after discovering that his father’s invention had been used to kill millions of their fellow German Jews. Fritz Haber did not live to see Zyklon B used in the concentration camps. He died while moving to Palestine in 1934.

Severnside_fertilizer_works_-_geograph.org_.uk_-_189990.jpg

The Haber-Bosch process is an effective way to synthesize nitrogen as long as energy costs remain low, but it is not the only way to make nitrogen fertilizer. As mentioned earlier, nitrogen fixating soil bacteria and symbiotic microbes living on legumes fix nitrogen from the atmosphere without any additional energy inputs. And there are other chemical processes that can be applied on industrial scales. Some of these industrial processes are much less energy-intensive than the Haber-Bosch. For example, a hydro-electric plant in Norway used its surplus energy to make ammonia for fertilizer from 1911 to 1971, using a process that had actually been developed before Fritz Haber made his discovery. But in spite of these alternatives, almost all the nitrogen used in commercial fertilizer is currently produced through the Haber-Bosch process. As a result, fertilizer prices tend to follow natural gas prices, and ammonia-based fertilizers will probably continue to be made using the high-energy process until energy costs rise substantially.

Phosphorus and Potassium

The second element Liebig discovered was crucial to plant growth is phosphorus. Unlike nitrogen, which makes up seventy-eight percent of Earth’s atmosphere, phosphorus is a mineral. Traditional agriculture recycled phosphorus by returning manure to fields as fertilizer. During the green revolution, most of the phosphorus applied by the world’s farmers has been superphosphate, a concentrate manufactured from a raw material called phosphate rock. Phosphate rock is a sedimentary mixture of minerals deposited in earlier geological eras on the bottoms of ancient oceans. Guano was also rich in concentrated phosphate, and after the Atacama Desert became the main source of nitrates, much of the guano remaining on the Pacific islands was used to produce phosphate fertilizer. The deposits currently used to make fertilizer contain about thirty percent phosphorus.

Although mineral phosphorus is plentiful in the Earth’s crust, known deposits of sedimentary phosphate rock are finite. Estimates of the concentrated phosphorus remaining vary, and depend on assumptions about yet to be developed technologies for discovering and recovering the mineral. Some scientists believe phosphorus production may peak around 2030, and then decline as exploitable reserves are exhausted. Like nitrogen, inexpensive and plentiful phosphorus has boosted crop yields greatly. Eighty percent of the phosphate rock mined each year goes to produce fertilizer. Phosphorus shortages would create serious threats to world food supply, which could impact global security. But since phosphorus is still available in animal and human waste, a shift back toward applying manure to agricultural fields would greatly reduce demand for superphosphate. Recognizing the growing value of the chemicals contained in our waste, some urban sewage treatment operations have begun producing concentrated phosphorus fertilizers from city sewer sludge.

Train_loaded_with_phosphate_rock_Metlaoui_Tunisia-4298B-1024x680.jpg

Potassium, the third vital plant nutrient, is actually named after the potash that early American colonists made from trees they burned to clear their fields. Ashes were soaked in water, and then the water was evaporated in cast iron pots to produce lye (potassium hydroxide) and potash (a mixture of potassium chloride and potassium carbonate). Wood ashes yielded about ten percent potash by weight, and by clearing a few acres of trees each year as they expanded their cultivation settlers could also produce a product they could sell for cash. As previously mentioned, the first patent issued by the United States in 1790 was for a “new apparatus and process” for making potash.

Like phosphorus, commercial potassium fertilizers are manufactured from sedimentary deposits mined at the sites of ancient inland seas. Current world production is dominated by two cartels, but known reserves total more than three hundred times annual production, so the element is not considered strategic.

One of the problems associated with using concentrated soluble nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium (NPK) in agriculture is that uptake by crops is less than 50 percent. In the old days of ten-foot deep prairie soils, this would not have been a problem. Organic matter binds elemental nutrients, and then decays slowly and releases the nutrient chemicals into the soil gradually over many seasons. The deep root systems of perennial grasses stored nutrients in biomass. And the chemistry of organic soils and the microscopic insect, bacterial, and fungal life-forms that thrived in those soils held onto the rest. However, in the shallow-plowed fields of modern farms, the root systems of annual crops are not deep enough to catch and hold nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium as it runs off with the water. And much of the soil life that once thrived in farm fields and pastures has been eliminated by pesticides, herbicides, and fungicides.

In spite of the additional food produced to support growing world population, the green revolution has been criticized by environmentalists for ignoring the problems created by fertilizer runoff. Excess agricultural fertilizer contributes nearly half of the nutrients that are currently poisoning American streams and rivers. Fertilizers entering the watershed encourage algal blooms. When these prolific mats of single-celled plants die, the decaying algae traps dissolved oxygen, creating hypoxic dead zones. The dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico has shrunk somewhat from its 2002 peak of 8,500 square miles. But excess fertilizer continues to flow down the Mississippi into the ocean.

Video \(\PageIndex{1}\): A YouTube element has been excluded from this version of the text. You can view it online here: https://youtu.be/rK_mEHqx7rw . Video from NOAA, Public Domain

The green revolution has also been criticized by less developed nations for increasing poor people’s dependence on technological solutions created in the faraway laboratories and factories in the United States and other industrialized nations. In many cases, development loans from organizations like the World Bank are tied to spending on products from the donor nations. Critics argue this benefits the donors more than the recipients and puts poor farmers at risk when they become dependent on new technologies and then fail to earn enough with their crops to pay rising prices for seeds, fertilizers, and pesticides. Farmers in developing nations have been encouraged with generous loans to invest in expensive capital equipment they cannot afford when the loans disappear. Since the 1990s, more than a quarter million farmers in India have killed themselves because they cannot escape the cycle of debt created by their green-revolution involvement in high-tech agriculture.

In America, the early green revolution that began with the use of guano, potash, and nitrate led to bonanza farming and the extension of agriculture onto marginal lands. The Russian Revolution and World War I at the beginning of the twentieth century reduced European farm production and drove up the price of American grain in international markets. Marginal high plains grazing lands like those of western Kansas and Nebraska, Oklahoma and northwestern Texas were put under the plow. Cropland in this region doubled between 1900 and 1920, and then tripled again between 1925 and 1930.

Plowing fields for annual corn and wheat planting is such a common farming practice, it seems normal. On the high plains, perennial grasses had evolved to find water deep in the soil and hold onto it. Plowing exposed the soil to the sun and wind, and cut the roots that trapped moisture and bound the soil together. Worse, generations of American farmers who had been taught to depend on plentiful commercial fertilizers, had forgotten the value of humus. Since Justus von Liebig had focused their attention on soil chemistry in the 1840s, most soil scientists had promoted the idea that chemical nutrients were the important thing, and that soil itself was just an inert medium. Although the prairies settlers discovered when they moved westward had been rich in living organic material, the farms built on those original soils relied on imported chemicals rather than on nutrients produced by biological activity in the soil. Many farmers even burned off the stems and stalks left after each harvest. Then the soil blew away.

The western edge of the prairie was actually a completely different ecosystem from the eastern edge by the Great Lakes, but the change in climate was very gradual. Although many farmers moving west to convert the high plains rangeland to cultivation failed to notice it, rainfall was scarcer and the wind blew harder. Those who did notice were mollified by the assurances of experts that “rain followed the plow.” But of course that was just boosterism and wishful thinking: rain did not follow the plow. Between 1933 and 1935, drought struck the area. Actually, dry conditions returned after a few years of unusual wetness that had been taken by hopeful farmers and optimistic boosters as the region’s permanent climate. Over half a million people were left homeless when their topsoil blew away.

In a single storm, beginning on November 11, 1933, topsoil from Oklahoma was blown all the way to Chicago, where over 12 million pounds of it fell on the city like snow. Like alfalfa, guano, and nitrate in the nineteenth century, America’s topsoil was traveled from west to east. On Black Sunday, April 14, 1935, dust storms were reported from the Canadian border to Texas. Newspaper reporters throughout the affected area wrote that they could not see five feet through the blowing dust. The agricultural disaster that became known as the Dust Bowl caused an exodus from the high plains region that should never have been put under the plow. But the disaster was not just just agricultural. Of 116,000 refugee families surveyed on their way into California, only four out of ten were farmer families. A full third of the heads of families who fled Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, and Texas were white collar professionals. When the farms blew away the whole region was wiped out.

Farmer_walking_in_dust_storm_Cimarron_County_Oklahoma2-1024x1001.jpg

Alarmingly, less than a century later the lessons of history have been forgotten and much of the Dust Bowl region is again under the plow. The wheat-fields of Kansas, Texas, Oklahoma, and Colorado produced 411 million bushels of grain in 1933, just before the drought began. The Dust Bowl disaster cut production by three quarters, but by 2012, the region was once again producing 700 million bushels of wheat. This time, farmers have taken advantage of irrigation.

The Ogallala is one of the world’s largest aquifers, stretching from South Dakota to West Texas. Farmers have been drawing water from it for over fifty years. But the aquifer, which was charged with water over centuries before American farmers arrived, is not an unlimited resource. Sections of West Texas and Kansas have already run out of water, and irrigation is still accelerating. In just seven years between 2001 and 2008, farmers used about a third of the water that was taken from the aquifer during the entire twentieth century. The rate of depletion far exceeds the rate of recharge, even in the occasional rainy years. If the aquifer is emptied and irrigation becomes impossible on the high plains, American grain production will be reduced by 700 million bushels per year. Farmers will have no choice but to replant perennial prairie grasses and convert the plains back to rangeland, if they hope to prevent the soil blowing away again. The question is, will American agribusiness change willingly and thoughtfully before a crisis, or out of desperate reaction after the crisis strikes?

The “Green Revolution”, Essay Example

Pages: 5

Words: 1488

Hire a Writer for Custom Essay

Use 10% Off Discount: "custom10" in 1 Click 👇

You are free to use it as an inspiration or a source for your own work.

Introduction

The onset of the “green revolution,” at least in international terms, may be traced to interventions in the 1960s. High-yielding varieties of wheat and rice, largely created by United States research, were then being adopted by Asian and Latin-American countries (Evenson, Gollin, 2003, p. xiii). This set the stage for enormous, global potentials affecting international relations and the evolutions of underdeveloped nations. On one level, it is widely argued that improving agricultural productivity and sustainability is an ethical and commercial imperative, if deprived nations are to be made self-sufficient. Conversely, there is serious doubt as to both the actual gains made in these efforts, as well as undesirable cultural and health repercussions. The reality is that negative and positive results mark the green revolution, and only a consistent, international effort to promote the instruments of sustainability responsibly can validate its ongoing presence.

However it is applied and wherever it is implemented, the green revolution is basically defined as three distinct operations. First, genetically-engineered and/or selectively bred crops, such as wheat, corn, and rice, are developed and planted. Then, output is increased through the use of pesticides, fertilizers, and water. Finally, the number of crops grown annually per plot of land is increased through multicropping, usually in areas where only one crop is cultivated (Tyler, 2006, p. 156). The advantages are obvious; as farmlands produce more, and a wider variety of crops, on the same land mass, developing nations have less need to create more farmland through deforestation, or using easily eroded mountain areas for food production. Then, and inevitably, the society’s standard of living is improved, as more food creates opportunities for export and expansion within the nation itself. In many ways, in fact, the green revolution has been viewed as a vast success; between 1950 and 1985, grain production worldwide tripled (Tyler, 2006, 156). Equally importantly, much of this astounding growth occurred in Southern Asian, Latin American, and Middle Eastern countries suffering severe deprivation. These are facts not to be discounted, when the true impacts of the green revolution are fully considered.

At the same time, all this productivity has generated serious concerns about underlying damage being caused. On one level, there is some question as to the actual yield of the introduced, genetically-enhanced crops. The 1990s, for example, saw a significant reduction in yield growth in developing nations, in marked contrast to the successes of the earlier decades. In Asia, cereal crop output has diminished, and this is attributed to a combination of factors: the infrastructure needed to perpetuate the growth is missing or weak; higher-profit crops take precedence over better yields of lower-profit product; environmental constraints; and problems in conducting adequate irrigation (World Bank, 2005, p. 29). What appears to have arisen, in fact, is a pattern necessarily exponential and complicated. As developing nations receive external assistance in promoting agriculture through green technologies, the nations have difficulty keeping pace with the demands of these systems. Water, fertilizer, and pesticides are expensive commodities, beyond the reach of most Third World farmers, despite U.S. assistance in providing the crop materials themselves (Tyler, 2006, p. 158). More plainly, to be successfully green and developed, a nation must be sufficiently developed to begin with, to “sustain” the sustainability efforts.

There are other problems and objections raised. Scientists have already noted that merely increasing supplies of water, fertilizer, and pesticides by no means assures a higher yield; in fact, cases of this reveal lessened agricultural productivity (Tyler, 2006, p. 158). There is also the significant risk of endangering global biodiversity. Essentially, the green revolution relies on as uniform and international effort to grow a limited number of crops. This translates to the need for farmers in developing nations to cease cultivating natural crops, in order to make room for the higher-yielding ones. India, for example, once produced over 30,000 different varieties of rice; today, most of the country’s rice production is limited to 10 varieties. This is a serious issue, in regard to global sustainability. The practice is, ironically, in place to protect as much variety in organic life as possible. Nonetheless, the focus on encouraging commercial development is destroying this variety, as it is estimated that, since 1900, the planet has lost over 75 percent of its former agricultural diversity (Tyler, 2006, p. 158). As agricultural activity often serves to define a culture and how it evolves, there can be no assessment of just how impactful an increased effort at growing only a minimal variety of crops may be. The activity at this scales is unprecedented in human history, and it cannot be known how the green revolution, seeking to generate mass food production, will then alter the inherent natures of individual societies and cultures.

Related to these issues is the fact that developing nations are different from developed nations in ways far beyond agricultural output. When a nation engages in green agriculture to enhance its productivity, the entire economic structure of the society must shift, and this requires some form of stable, government intervention to assure that all needs of the people are reasonably met. Unfortunately, a defining characteristic of Third World countries is leadership by no means democratic in nature. A strong and responsible government is mutually reliant upon a strong and capable society, and underdeveloped nations typically possess neither (UN-HABITAT, 2009, p. 8). Here, again, may be seen the mutually inclusive nature of green efforts, in that changes to a nation’s productivity must have far-reaching consequences removed from agricultural concerns. One of these consequences is health. It is natural to assume that a green focus in a poor country must translate to better nutrition for the populace, but other factors create serious risks. For example, research reveals that sustainability farming in Asia, while greatly increasing yield, has led to extreme issues. Water pollution, often resulting from the misuse of pesticides and chemically-enhanced fertilizers, is a growing danger (Walter, 2009, p. 95). More plainly, environmental damage is generating severe risks to the health of the people. That many such areas, again, are governed by regimes not particularly motivated to reflect an awareness of these problem is a real and threatening consequence of the green revolution.

Lastly, interventions from those world powers seeking to promote green farming in deprived nations are by no means consistent, and how developing countries receive U.S. assistance in promoting green industries varies from administration to administration. The Clinton presidency was marked by at least an overt display of interest, and its Country Studies Program offered funds to various nations for implementing green technologies. The vast, sub-Saharan regions of Africa were largely ignored, but these years saw a renewed interest in cultivating assistance programs. Less active was the Bush administration, which emphatically made it clear that the U.S. would assume no responsibility in this arena contrary to its other foreign policies. Common to all administrations is that Congress, more than the White House, makes efforts to fund aid for sustainable development for other nations (Vig, Faure, 2004, p. 258). Flaws and dangers notwithstanding, the U.S., as well as most European powers, continues to explore new ways of infusing green technology into underdeveloped nations.

Since the 1960s, what is known as the green revolution has been an increasingly important element in international relations, as well as profoundly going to the innate prosperity of underdeveloped countries. New methods of farming, relying on genetically-enhanced grains, fertilizers, and pesticides, have been incorporated into deprived regions, in order to significantly improve agricultural yields. The results have been mixed. On one level, productivity has been markedly increased, despite more recent slowdowns; enormous gains in yield output globally have been noted. At the same time, issues arise. Struggling countries are not equipped or assisted in addressing pollution issues, and often have no governmental support in this area. Health consequently suffers, and all of this is apart from the changes which must occur in a culture whose agriculture, traditionally the foundation of all civilization, changes so dramatically. Then, these efforts encourage a limiting of crop variety, which threatens biodiversity. The green revolution was, and remains, a worthwhile ambition, and developed countries are ethically obligated to offer this form of aid. Nonetheless, the totality of the obligation must be addressed as well. Negative and positive results define the green revolution, and only a consistent, international focus on to promoting sustainability responsibly can validate its ongoing presence.

Evenson, Robert Eugene, & Gollin, Douglas. (2003). Crop Variety Improvement and Its Effect on Productivity: The Impact of International Agricultural Research . Cambridge: CABI Publishing.

Miller, G. Tyler. (2006). Sustaining the Earth: An Integrated Approach . Belmont: Cengage Learning.

United Nations Human Settlements Programme. (2009). Planning Sustainable Cities: Global Report on Human Settlements, 2009. London: UN-HABITAT.

Vig, Norman J., & Faure, Michael G. (2004). Green Giants?: Environmental Policies of the United States and the European Union . Cambridge: MIT Press.

Walter, Lynn. (2009). Critical Food Issues: Environment, Agriculture, and Health Concerns . New York: Macmillan.

World Bank. (2005). Agricultural Growth for the Poor: An Agenda for Development. Washington D.C.: The World Bank.

Stuck with your Essay?

Get in touch with one of our experts for instant help!

Interventions That Is Effective in Improving the Academic Outcomes for Students With Disabilities, Research Paper Example

Government Poverty Strategy, Essay Example

Time is precious

don’t waste it!

Plagiarism-free guarantee

Privacy guarantee

Secure checkout

Money back guarantee

Related Essay Samples & Examples

Voting as a civic responsibility, essay example.

Pages: 1

Words: 287

Utilitarianism and Its Applications, Essay Example

Words: 356

The Age-Related Changes of the Older Person, Essay Example

Pages: 2

Words: 448

The Problems ESOL Teachers Face, Essay Example

Pages: 8

Words: 2293

Should English Be the Primary Language? Essay Example

Pages: 4

Words: 999

The Term “Social Construction of Reality”, Essay Example

Words: 371

Home — Essay Samples — History — Green Revolution — The Green Revolution And Its Benefits In India

The Green Revolution and Its Benefits in India

Categories: Green Revolution India

About this sample

Words: 840 |

Published: May 14, 2021

Words: 840 | Pages: 2 | 5 min read

Cite this Essay

Let us write you an essay from scratch

450+ experts on 30 subjects ready to help
Custom essay delivered in as few as 3 hours

Get high-quality help

Prof. Kifaru

Verified writer

Expert in: History Geography & Travel

+ 120 experts online

By clicking “Check Writers’ Offers”, you agree to our terms of service and privacy policy . We’ll occasionally send you promo and account related email

No need to pay just yet!

Related Essays

1 pages / 1299 words

6 pages / 2505 words

9 pages / 3986 words

2 pages / 714 words

Remember! This is just a sample.

You can get your custom paper by one of our expert writers.

121 writers online

Still can’t find what you need?

Browse our vast selection of original essay samples, each expertly formatted and styled

Related Essays on Green Revolution

The Green Revolution, a period of agricultural innovation and transformation that took place from the 1940s to the 1970s, had a profound and lasting impact on global food production. With its introduction of high-yielding crop [...]

Bangladesh being an agro-based country has undergone significant changes over the last few decades; especially since the inception of the technologies of the Green Revolution in the late 1960s. Green Revolution has brought about [...]

By looking at the three perspectives of the Cuban Missile Crisis, it can be stated that the Cuban Missile Crisis was in fact an example of M.A.D.The reason for this is because a nuclear war was avoided due to both the [...]

The Odyssey is a classic piece of literature. Most people know how the story goes, but only a handful of those people have read and deeply discussed the story. The truth is, most people (mainly from inexperience) feel that the [...]

Twentieth-century scholars of slavery have both slavery's effects on the slave mentality and the development of culture (or lack thereof) and the existence of paternalism among the slave-holding class. However, authors such as [...]

Humanity has been fortunate enough to make advancements in medicine as time goes on. Medicine, and the lack of it, plays an important role in Our Town. Emily’s death is a key part of the conflict in the play. The third act’s [...]

Get Your Personalized Essay in 3 Hours or Less!

We use cookies to personalyze your web-site experience. By continuing we’ll assume you board with our cookie policy .

Instructions Followed To The Letter
Deadlines Met At Every Stage
Unique And Plagiarism Free

Skip to primary navigation
Skip to main content
Skip to primary sidebar

UPSC Coaching, Study Materials, and Mock Exams

Enroll in ClearIAS UPSC Coaching Join Now Log In

Call us: +91-9605741000

Green Revolution

Last updated on October 15, 2023 by ClearIAS Team

The green revolution was an important turn point for Indian agriculture. Read here to know more about the history and impact of the green revolution.

The Green Revolution in India was initiated in the 1960s by introducing high-yielding varieties of rice and wheat to increase food production to alleviate hunger and poverty.

Table of Contents

History of the Green revolution

The Green Revolution can be described as a set of research technology transfer initiatives. It gained momentum between 1950 and the late 1960s which increased agricultural production in parts of the world, beginning most markedly in the late 1960s.

It is also called Third Agricultural Revolution after the Neolithic Revolution and the British Agricultural Revolution.

The Green Revolution was an endeavor initiated by Norman Borlaug in the 1960s. He is known as the ‘Father of Green Revolution in the world.

It led to him winning the Nobel Peace Prize in 1970 for his work in developing High Yielding Varieties (HYVs) of wheat.

The word “Green Revolution” was coined by William S. Gaud of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) in 1968.

Mexico has been called the ‘birthplace’ and ‘burial ground’ of the Green Revolution. The initial success of the program was due to:

Add IAS, IPS, or IFS to Your Name!

Your Effort. Our Expertise.

Join ClearIAS

high yield plants without disease resistivity
adaptability, and ability to utilize fertilizers;
improved use of soils,
adequate fertilizers, and control of weeds and pests; and
a favorable ratio between the cost of fertilizers (and other investments) to the price of the produce

Mexico became the showcase for extending the Green Revolution to other areas of Latin America and beyond, into Africa and Asia.

Green revolution in India

The advent of the green revolution in India happened in 1961 when the country was on the brink of famine.

Norman Borlaug was invited to India by the adviser to the Indian Minister of Agriculture Dr. M. S. Swaminathan.

S Swaminathan is known as the Father of the Green Revolution in India.

Under the leadership of Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri , the Green Revolution within India commenced in 1968, leading to an increase in food grain production, especially in Punjab, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh.

The state of Punjab was selected by the Indian government to be the first site to try the new wheat seeds because of its reliable water supply.

This Wheat Revolution increased wheat production by more than three times between 1967-68 and 2003-04.

India began its own Green Revolution program of plant breeding, irrigation development, and financing of agrochemicals.

UPSC Prelims Test Series 2024

Take All-India Mock Exams: Analyse Your Progress!

Indian Agriculture was converted into an industrial system due to the adoption of modern methods and technology such as the use of HYV seeds, tractors, irrigation facilities, pesticides, and fertilizers.

India soon adopted IR8 a semi-dwarf rice variety developed by the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) that could produce more grains of rice per plant when grown with certain fertilizers and irrigation.

By 2006, India had become one of the world’s most successful rice producers.

Components of the green revolution

Quantitative expansion of farming areas
Double cropping systems, that is to have two crop seasons per year.
Water now came from huge irrigation projects as dams were built and other simple irrigation techniques were also adopted.
Using seeds with superior genetics as new strains of high-yield variety seeds were developed.

The main crops were Wheat, Rice, Jowar, Bajra, and Maize. Non-food grains were excluded from the ambit of the new strategy. Wheat remained the mainstay of the Green Revolution for years.

Positive effects of the green revolution

Increase in crop production: The crop area under high-yielding varieties of wheat and rice grew considerably making India one of the world’s biggest agricultural producers.
Self-sufficiency: The import of goof grains reduced as India became self-sufficient in food grains, rather India started exporting at times.
Availability: The per capita net availability of food grains has increased.
Benefits to farmers: The level of income of farmers increased as agricultural productivity improved. It promoted capitalist farming as big land owners profited the most.
Industrialization: The large-scale mechanization of farms created a demand for machinery like tractors, harvesters, threshers, combines, diesel engines, electric motors, pumping sets, etc. Demand for chemical fertilizers, pesticides, insecticides, weedicides, etc. also increased considerably.
Agro industries: Several agricultural products came to be used as raw materials in various industries giving rise to agro-based industries.
Employment: The demand for labor force increased rural employment, and the industrial workforce at the same time.

Negative effects

Impact on ecology

Indigenous seeds did not have the inherent ability to withstand the chemical fertilizers used hence they started dying out of usage.
The newly introduced high-yielding seeds had a narrow genetic base compared to the indigenous species.
The overuse of chemical fertilizers to get high yield caused physical and chemical degradation of the soil by altering the natural microflora and increasing the alkalinity and salinity of the soil.

Impact on other food crops

Non-food grains were not included- major commercial crops like cotton, jute, tea, and sugarcane were also left almost untouched by the Green Revolution.
The High Yielding Variety Programme (HYVP) was restricted to only five crops: Wheat, Rice, Jowar, Bajra, and Maize.
The green revolution impacted only a few states creating economic disparity among regions.

Impact on farmers

The excessive use of groundwater for irrigation depleted the water table in many parts of the country.
Eventually, small farmers sold their lands to large commercial farmers as they were unable to withstand the increasing expenses of farming and debts.
Many farmers left farming unable to withstand the food inflation and economic crisis.

Impact on food consumption and nutrition

The per capita net availability of other cereal grains such as millets and pulses decreased over the years.
This led to the change in the consumption pattern over the years and the shift in focus from the minor cereals and pulses to the major cereals, rice and wheat.
The consumption of major cereals such as rice and wheat along with pulses and a decrease in the addition of coarse cereals, foods of animal origin, and fruits and vegetables in the diet lead to a deficiency of micronutrients such as iron, zinc, calcium, vitamin A, folate, and riboflavin among the population causing anemia, keratomalacia, blindness, and infertility in severe cases.

Green Revolution – Krishonnati Yojana

The government of India introduced the Green Revolution Krishonnati Yojana in 2005 to boost the agriculture sector.

The government through the scheme plans to develop the agriculture and allied sector in a holistic & scientific manner to increase the income of farmers.

It comprises 11 schemes and missions under a single umbrella scheme:

Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture (MIDH)
National Food Security Mission (NFSM)
National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture (NMSA)
Submission on Agriculture Extension (SMAE)
Sub-Mission on Seeds and Planting Material (SMSP)
Sub-Mission on Agricultural Mechanization (SMAM)
Sub-Mission on Plant Protection and Plan Quarantine (SMPPQ)
Integrated Scheme on Agriculture Census, Economics, and Statistics (ISACES)
Integrated Scheme on Agricultural Cooperation (ISAC)
Integrated Scheme on Agricultural Marketing (ISAM)
National e-Governance Plan in Agriculture (NeGP-A)

The green revolution pulled India out of a major food crisis and provided unprecedented food security. The success story helped the country achieve self-sufficiency and even an export market of food grains.

But the negative impacts on the environment and lack of knowledge on heavy-duty chemical fertilizers among Indian farmers weren’t taken into account, which led to failures towards the end of it.

The advantages of indigenous crops should be realized and they should be revived as food security must also ensure the nutrition security of the nation.

Proper planning and intensive collaborative research work should be initiated by the stakeholders for the conservation of the traditional varieties and the inclusion of these varieties and practices into the food and nutrition security plans for the nation owing to their nutritional benefits.

The impact on ecology and the water table must be specially focused upon.

Genetically Modified Crops and Regulations in India
Green Agriculture

Aim IAS, IPS, or IFS?

Prelims cum Mains (PCM) GS Course: Target UPSC CSE 2025 (Online)

₹95000 ₹59000

Prelims cum Mains (PCM) GS Course: Target UPSC CSE 2026 (Online)

₹115000 ₹69000

Prelims cum Mains (PCM) GS Course: Target UPSC CSE 2027 (Online)

₹125000 ₹79000

About ClearIAS Team

ClearIAS is one of the most trusted learning platforms in India for UPSC preparation. Around 1 million aspirants learn from the ClearIAS every month.

Our courses and training methods are different from traditional coaching. We give special emphasis on smart work and personal mentorship. Many UPSC toppers thank ClearIAS for our role in their success.

Download the ClearIAS mobile apps now to supplement your self-study efforts with ClearIAS smart-study training.

Reader Interactions

June 1, 2023 at 3:05 pm

Very nice work

Don’t lose out without playing the right game!

Follow the ClearIAS Prelims cum Mains (PCM) Integrated Approach.

Join ClearIAS PCM Course Now

UPSC Online Preparation

Union Public Service Commission (UPSC)
Indian Administrative Service (IAS)
Indian Police Service (IPS)
IAS Exam Eligibility
UPSC Free Study Materials
UPSC Exam Guidance
UPSC Prelims Test Series
UPSC Syllabus
UPSC Online
UPSC Prelims
UPSC Interview
UPSC Toppers
UPSC Previous Year Qns
UPSC Age Calculator
UPSC Calendar 2024
About ClearIAS
ClearIAS Programs
ClearIAS Fee Structure
IAS Coaching
UPSC Coaching
UPSC Online Coaching
ClearIAS Blog
Important Updates
Announcements
Book Review
ClearIAS App
Work with us
Advertise with us
Privacy Policy
Terms and Conditions
Talk to Your Mentor

Featured on

and many more...

UPSC Online Coaching: Target CSE 2025

Are you struggling to finish the upsc cse syllabus without proper guidance, take clearias mock exams: analyse your progress.

Analyse Your Performance and Track Your All-India Ranking

Home / Essay Samples / History / Contemporary History / Green Revolution

Green Revolution Essay Examples

Turning africa green: green revolution.

The impacts of the first wave of the green revolution are still being felt in the modern-day. Global yields of grains have been on a steady increase. Agriculturalists are producing more on the same amount of land. This has allowed many millions of acres of...

The Importance of Green Living for the World and Its Methods

I am going to express my view on the importance of green living to the world and the methods having an environmentally friendly lifestyle. First, the most notable reason of importance of green living is improvement on global warming. The annual temperature has increased 0....

The Benefits of Green Technology

We live in the 21st century where we encounter a lot of issues due to multiplication in global population growth. One of the main stumbling blocks is environment depletion and exhaustion of natural resources due to human activities. However, our Nation’s leaders and individual citizen...

Analysis of Green Revolution in India

China is in a period of economic transition from a command economy to a free-market economy. Explain the difference between these two economic systems. A command economy is one in which the government controls the economy while a free market economy is an economic system...

An Overview of the Green Revolution, Its Reasons and Effects

The mid to late twentieth century saw a revolution that dramatically changed the field of agriculture and is known as the Green Revolution. It saw a substantial increase in agricultural productivity due to the introduction of high-yield varieties of grains, the use of herbicides and...

A Discussion on Whether Green Revolution Was Beneficial

Was the Green Revolution Beneficial? There is a lot of controversy about if The Green Revolution was a beneficial time period. The Green Revolution was when the production of global agriculture had been increasing drastically as a result of science and newer technologies. The biggest...

Trying to find an excellent essay sample but no results?

Don’t waste your time and get a professional writer to help!

About Green Revolution

1940s - 1960s

Norman Ernest Borlaug ("the father of the Green Revolution"), M.S. Swaminathan

The term Green Revolution refers to the renovation of agricultural practices beginning in Mexico in the 1940s. Because of its success in producing more agricultural products there, Green Revolution technologies spread worldwide in the 1950s and 1960s, significantly increasing the number of calories produced per acre of agriculture.

The key elements of the revolution include: 1) use of the latest technological and capital inputs, 2) adoption of modern scientific methods of farming, 3) use of high yielding varieties of seeds, 4) proper use of chemical fertilizers, 5) consolidation of land holdings, 6) use of various mechanical machineries.

samplius.com uses cookies to offer you the best service possible.By continuing we’ll assume you board with our cookie policy .--> -->

25,000+ students realised their study abroad dream with us. Take the first step today

Green Revolution Essay in 100, 200, and 500 Words

Green Revolution Essay in 100 Words

Green Revolution Essay in 200 Words

Green Revolution Essay in 500 Words

Green Revolution in India

Challenges and Concerns

Shiva Tyagi

Connect With Us

25,000+ students realised their study abroad dream with us. Take the first step today.

Need help with?

Country Preference

Which English test are you planning to take?

When are you planning to take the exam?

Which Degree do you wish to pursue?

What is your budget to study abroad?

Make your study abroad dream a reality in January 2022 with

Essex Direct Admission Day

Green Revolution Essay for Students and Children

Green Revolution in India

Statistical Results

Economic Results

Sociological Results

Political Results

Disadvantages of the Green Revolution

Customize your course in 30 seconds

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Download the App

Essay on Green Revolution

Economic Results

Green Revolution in India

Disadvantages

Short Paragraph on Green Revolution

FAQs on Green Revolution Essay

Green Revolution Essay for Students in English

Green Revolution Essay

Essential Components of the Green Revolution

Impact of the Green Revolution

Essay on Green Revolution in English for Children and Students – 2023

Short and Long Essay on Green Revolution in English

Green Revolution Essay 1 (200 Words)

Green Revolution Essay 2 (300 Words)

Green Revolution Essay 3 (400 Words)

Green Revolution Essay 4 (500 Words)

Related content

22.1: Green Revolution

The Green Revolution

15: Green Revolution

Green Manure, Guano, Caliche

Phosphorus and Potassium

Further Reading

The “Green Revolution”, Essay Example

Related Essay Samples & Examples

Utilitarianism and Its Applications, Essay Example

The Age-Related Changes of the Older Person, Essay Example

The Problems ESOL Teachers Face, Essay Example

Should English Be the Primary Language? Essay Example

The Term “Social Construction of Reality”, Essay Example

The Green Revolution and Its Benefits in India

Cite this Essay

Related Essays

Still can’t find what you need?

Related Essays on Green Revolution

Related Topics

Get Your Personalized Essay in 3 Hours or Less!

Green Revolution

History of the Green revolution

Add IAS, IPS, or IFS to Your Name!

Green revolution in India

UPSC Prelims Test Series 2024

Components of the green revolution

Positive effects of the green revolution

Negative effects

Green Revolution – Krishonnati Yojana

Aim IAS, IPS, or IFS?

Prelims cum Mains (PCM) GS Course: Target UPSC CSE 2025 (Online)

Prelims cum Mains (PCM) GS Course: Target UPSC CSE 2026 (Online)

Prelims cum Mains (PCM) GS Course: Target UPSC CSE 2027 (Online)

About ClearIAS Team

Reader Interactions