GREEN REVOLUTION

The world's worst recorded food disaster happened in 1943 in British ruled India.
This was known as the Bengal Famine, an estimated for million people died of
hunger that year alone in eastern India. Though the British left India four years later
in 1947, India continued to be haunted by memories of the Bengal Famine. It was
therefore natural that food security was a paramount item on free India's agenda.
This awareness led to the Green Revolution in India.

Green Revolution was spread over the period from 1967/68 to 1977 78. It changed
India's status from a food-deficient country to one of the world's leading agricultural
nations. Until 1967 the government largely concentrated on expanding the farming
areas. But the population was growing at a much faster rate than food production.
This called for an immediate and drastic action to increase yield. The action came in
the form of the Green Revolution. The term 'Green Revolution' is a general one that
is applied to successful agricultural experiments in many developing countries. India
is one of the countries where it was most successful.

There were three basic elements in the method of the Green Revolution They are,

(1) Continued expansion of farming areas

(2) Double-cropping existing farmland

(3) Using seeds with improved genetics

Continued expansion of farming areas

Under this scheme, the area of land under cultivation was being increased right from
1947. But this was not enough in meeting with rising demand. Other methods were
required. Yet, the expansion of cultivable land also had to continue. Therefore, the
Green Revolution continued with this quantitative expansion of farmlands.

Double-cropping existing farmland

Double-cropping was a primary feature of the Green Revolution. Instead of one crop
season per year, the decision was made to have two crop seasons per year. The
one-season-per-year practice was based on the fact that there is only natural
monsoon per year. But green revolution created another artificial 'monsoon, in the
form of huge irrigation facilities. Dams were built to arrest large volumes of natural
monsoon water which were earlier being wasted. Simple irrigation techniques were
also adopted.

Using seeds with superior genetics

This was the scientific aspect of the Green Revolution. The Indian Council for
Agricultural Research (ICAR), which was established by the British in 1929 was re-
organized in 1965 and then again in 1973. It developed new strains of high yield
value (HYV) seeds, mainly wheat and rice but also millet and corn. The most
noteworthy HYV seed was the K68 variety for wheat. The credit for developing this
strain goes to Dr. M.P. Singh who is also regarded as the hero of India's Green
revolution.

Measures adopted in green revolution

• Use of high yielding varieties (HYV) of seeds

• Irrigation

• Use of insecticides and pesticides

• Consolidation of holdings

• Land reforms

• Improved rural infrastructure

• Supply of agricultural credit

• Use of (chemical) fertilizers

Advantages of the Green Revolution

 The Green Revolution resulted in a record grain output of 131 million tons in
1978-79. This established India as one of the world's biggest agricultural
producers. No other country in the world which attempted the Green
Revolution recorded such a level of success.

 India became an exporter of food grains around that time

 Yield per unit of farmland improved by more than 30 per cent between 1947
and 1979 when the Green Revolution was considered to have delivered its
goods

 The crop area under HYV varieties grew from seven per cent to 22 per cent of
the total cultivated area during the 10 years of the Green Revolution.

 Crop areas under high-yield varieties needed more water, more fertilizer,
more pesticides, fungicides and certain other chemicals. This spurred the
growth of the local manufacturing sector. Such industrial growth created new
jobs and contributed to the country's GDP

 The Green Revolution created plenty of jobs not only for agricultural workers
but also industrial workers by the creation of lateral facilities such as factories
and hydro-electric power stations as explained above

 The increase in irrigation created the need for new dams to harness monsoon
water. The water stored was used to create hydroelectric power. This, in turn,
 boosted industrial growth, created jobs, and improved the quality of life of the
people in villages.

Failures of the Green Revolution

 Unfortunately for many farmers the cost of machinery was too much and they
simply couldn't afford it, as well as the high initial outlay, money was also
required for fuel and repair.

 Many very poor farmers were tenant farmers, with little money to buy even the
new seeds or fertilizer that was required.

 New irrigation schemes were required to provide the reliable source of water
required by the HYVs (High Yielding Varieties of rice). As well as being
expensive, in some cases where inappropriate schemes were used
salinisation became a problem.

 Dam construction in some areas also resulted in the flooding of some good
farming land.

 The large amounts of fertilisers and pesticides required by the HYVs also led
to serious environmental problems as they entered water supplies

 In areas where there was an increase in mechanisation, there was an

increase in unemployment with fewer people needed to do the jobs that were
now done using tractors etc. (vi) The consequent increase in unemployment
in rural areas led to an increase in rural-urban migration with more people
moving to the cities, causing urban problems(vii) Many farmers who had tried
to take on the new technologies became heavily in debt, leading to increase
stress and in some instances suicide.

 The Green Revolution created wide regional and interstate disparities. The
plan was implemented only in areas with assured supplies of water and the
means to control it, large inputs of fertilizers, and adequate farm credit.

SECOND GREEN REVOLUTION

In the '70s, India was successful in creating a Green Revolution which gave a boost
to the agriculture sector across the country. We need to create a similar revolution in
the near future as we have already started experiencing

stagnation in growth in the agricultural sector. While the first Green Revolution was
to ensure food security as there was a severe scarcity of food in the country, the
second Green Revolution aimed at creating sustainable livelihood security for the
poor and eradication poverty by generating gainful self-employment. While the first
Green Revolution was aimed at undertaking mass production, the second Green
Revolution aimed to promote production by the masses. This is in line with the
Gandhian philosophy of involving the poor in development for equitable distribution
of our prosperity.

The Second Green Revolution is a change in agricultural production widely thought

necessary to feed and sustain the growing population on Earth. M.S Swaminathan is
known as the father of India's 2nd green revolution. The year 2004 is somewhat
termed as a second green revolution in India. It is also known as the Rainbow
revolution. It mainly deals with the increase in the production of next-generation food
grains The GOI as an effort to make 2nd green revolution implemented the following
programmes.

a) National horticulture mission-2005

It objective was doubling of horticulture production ie 300 million tonne

b) Rashtriya krishi vikas yojana-2007

Its objective was to increase in 4% of agricultural growth

c) National food security mission-2007

Its objective was to increase production of, rice by 10 million tonne,

wheat by 8 million tonne and

pulses by 2million tonne

Impact of New Agricultural Strategy
In the meantime, the Government adopted a new agricultural strategy during the
Fourth Plan and set a target of 129 million tons of food grains at the last year (1973-
74) of the Plan. After 1968 the government gradually reduced the volume of imports
of food grains from nearly 8.7 million tones in 1967 to 0.5 million tones in 1972. But
the Government raised its procurement of food grains since 1972 and put the public
distribution system on a permanent basis. The new agricultural strategy, popularly
known as the green revolution was also continued during the Fifth and Sixth Plan. At
the end of Fifth Plan total production of food grains rose to about 132 million tones
and then rose to 145.5 million tones at the end of Sixth Plan. Another aspect of the
food problem is that prices of food grains have been rising continuously causing
serious difficulties to the rural poor.

Different Aspects of Food Problem

Food Problem in India has the following three aspects;

(1) Quantitative Aspect: Supply of food grains in India is totally inadequate as per
the per capita calorie intake in India in very low in comparison to other developing
countries.
(ii) Qualitative Aspects: There is a deficiency in the nutrient content of the diet of
average Indian and this deficiency is mostly marked in respect of sugar, fish and
milk.

(iii) High Prices of Foodgrains: In India, the prices of food grains have been
rapidly increasing and prices were doubled in 1970-71 as compared to that of 1960-
61.

Factors responsible for Food Problem in India The following are some of the
important factors which are responsible for this persisting food problem in the
country-

• High rate of population growth.

• High marginal propensity to consume.

• Inadequate increase in the production of food grains.

• Hoarding of food grains.

• Increase in farm consumption.

• Corrupt administrative practices

AGRICULTURAL CREDIT
The term agricultural credit refers to one of several credit vehicles used to finance
agricultural transactions. These vehicles include loans, notes, bills of exchange, and
banker's acceptances. This type of financing is specially adapted to the specific
financial needs of farmers and allows them to secure equipment, plant, harvest,
marketing, and do other things that are necessary to keep their farms running.

Agricultural credit refers to one of several credit vehicles used to finance agricultural
transactions such as a loan, note, bill of exchange, or a banker's acceptance.

Financing is specially adapted to the specific financial needs of farmers.

It allows them to secure equipment, plant, harvest, marketing, and do other things
required to keep farms running or diversify.

. Credit needs to be available on competitive terms to allow farmers who operate in a

free market economy to compete with farms that receive subsidies.

How Agricultural Credit Works

When someone needs credit, they often turn to banks for loans or other credit
vehicles. Some industries have special facilities set aside through certain financial
institutions as is the case with agribusiness-the business sector encompassing
farming and farming-related commercial activities which involve all the steps required
to send an agricultural good to market- production, processing, and distribution. This
is called agricultural credit, which is available in many different countries.

Agricultural credit, which is also commonly referred to as agricultural finance, is an

important component of the economy, especially in countries with arable land since
agricultural products can be exported. Credit is vital to agricultural businesses
because it gives farmers access to capital that might not otherwise be available to
them. It helps them secure the seeds, equipment, and land they need to operate a
successful farm. Agricultural credit programs not only help farmers and other
agricultural producers but also supports ranchers and rural homeowners with their
finances.

Agricultural credit helps farmers, other agricultural producers, as well as ranchers

and rural homeowners. Credit needs to be made available on competitive terms to
allow American farmers who operate in a free market economy to be able to
compete with farms that receive state financial subsidies, such as in the European
Union (EU) or Russia. If this credit wasn't available, the U.S. agribusiness sector
would face unfair competition when it comes to securing the equipment and arable
land needed to produce agricultural products for the global marketplace.

Special Considerations
Countries with farming industries face consistent pressures from global competition.
Products such as wheat, corn, and soybeans tend to be similar in different locations,
making them commodities. Remaining competitive requires agribusinesses to
operate more efficiently, which can require investments in new technologies, new
ways of fertilizing and watering crops, and new ways of connecting to the global
market.

Global prices of agricultural products may change rapidly, making production

planning a complicated activity. Farmers may also face a reduction in usable land as
suburban and urban areas move into their areas.

Just like any other industry, many entrepreneurs in the agricultural industry also find
the need to diversity in order to maximize their profits. So farmers may not just grow
single commodities or one type of livestock. Instead, they may need to think beyond
existing operations. Doing so requires
capital. The availability of agricultural credit helps these borrowers realize their
dreams of expanding into more complex businesses.