Green Revolution in India
Causes
Shortcomings
- Output sometimes falls short even today
- Only two states showed the best results (results were less impressive in other parts of india)
- Agrochemical-based pest affected the surrounding environmental as well as human health
- approx. four million died in 1943 due to the Bengal Famine
- malnutrition and starvation in general were a major issue
- marginal farmers found it difficult to finance their enterprise due to a feudal system involving Zamindars
- Zamindars would lend money to farmers with a high interest rate; leading the farmers to work, essentially, for free for the Zamindars, considering they would not be able to pay the money back
- there was a lack of self-sufficiency, due to aged farming techniques, low productivity and a growing population
- furthermore, agriculture was considered to be a matter of substance and not a matter of profit, leading to a small and weak market
Benefits
Consequenses
- record grain ["Korn"] of 131 million tonnes in 1978/79
- Yield per unit of farmland improved by 30% between 1947 and 1979
- The green Revolution created plenty of jobs for agricultural and industrial workers
Three basic elements of the Green Revolution:
Continuing expansion of farming areas
Double-cropping in the existing farmland
- cultivated land was increased from 1947 anyway
- was not enough for the rising demand
- despite other methods, expansion of cultivable land also had to continue
- quantitative expansion of farmlands
- primary feature of the Green Revolution
- instead of one, two crop seasons [to crop = "ernten"] per year
- one-season-per-year practice because there is only one rainy season annually
- water for the second phase now from huge irrigation projects ["Bewässerungsmaßnahmen"]
- dams and other simple irrigation techniques
Using seeds with improved genetics
Sources
Site supported by UN environment and designed and developed by TERI
- scientific aspect of the Green Revolution
- The Indian Council for Agricultural Research developed new high yield seeds
- mainly wheat and rice, but also millet["Hirse"] and corn
- M. S. Swaminathan was one of the most important people for the Green Revolution
- not only seeds with superior genetics, but also fertilizers ["Dünger"] and pesticides were used
- http://edugreen.teri.res.in/explore/bio/green.htm
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M._S._Swaminathan
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Monkombu_Sambasivan_Swaminathan_-_Kolkata_2013-01-07_2674.JPG
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_Council_of_Agricultural_Research
- YouTube: Green Revolution and its Impact in India
- http://www.oxfordscholarship.com/view/10.1093/0198284632.001.0001/acprof-9780198284635
Mankombu Sambasivan Swaminathan