Green Revolution and After

Bharat Dogra

India is on the verge of completing 50 years of 'green revolution' (GR) model of agricultural development. For genuine development there is a constant need to evaluate the development experience honestly and impartially.

In agriculture, the period after mid-sixties is generally regarded as the 'green revolution' phase of Indian agriculture. The most important feature of this technology is the introduction of HYV seeds. There can be several types of HYVs. For example, some indigenous rice varieties have been found to give very high yields even by traditional methods of cultivation without the use of chemical fertilisers. However, in the official programmes of improved agriculture in India, generally only those (dwarf, non-lodging) varieties which gave high yields when fed by chemical fertilisers were included. Therefore one should call them HRVs (High Response Varieties) rather than HYVs. However for the sake of comparability with common use, here also one may use the word HYVs (High Yielding Varieties).

An overview of the situation of farm productivity before and after green revolution is provided in the 12th Plan document in two important tables (See Tables 1 and 2). While in the case of some crops the rate of rise of yield did increase, in most crops (particularly the most important food crop rice) it declined.

Along with the spread of HYV seeds, as a part of the 'package deal', the use of chemical fertilisers, chemical pesticides and agriculture machinery increased greatly. To spread and strengthen the new technology, investment in farm research, education and extension, geared to promote this technology boom, also increased rapidly.

During the fourteen years from 1952-53 to 1965-66 about 5228 thousand tonnes of fertilisers were used, while during the fourteen year period from 1966-67 to 1979-80 the quantity of fertilisers used was 35,487 thousand tonnes. The use of chemical pesticides (technical grade) increased from negligible amounts to nearly 60,000 tonnes per annum in later years. From 1950-51 to 1965-66 area under irrigation increased by 11 million hectares whereas from 1965-56 to 1979-80 it increased by double that area i.e. 22 million hectares. In 1966 India had 53,000 tractors. By 1978 India had acquired 3,67,000 tractors.

Hence one can see clearly that despite the much higher use of chemical fertilisers, pesticides etc. in the green revolution phase, the growth of farm yield on the whole was in fact lower. Therefore agriculturists should give much greater attention to alternative methods. Another reason for this is that GR had several adverse impacts—
l    High rates of depletion of natural fertility of farmland, including alarming loss of several micro-nutrients.
l    High fall in water table in vast areas.
l    Many cases of poisoning of people by pesticides, other agri-chemicals, as well as loss of other forms of life and spread of serious diseases.
l    Botanic holocaust in the form of loss of thousands of crop varieties and threats to others.
l    Loss of invaluable traditional wisdom relating to agriculture and seeds and break-down of system of passing knowledge from one generation to another.
l    Heavy burden of food, fertiliser and agriculture subsidies often as a result of the intolerably high costs of transporting food across vast areas.
l    Much diminished per capita availability of pulses and legumes.
l    Loss of taste and nutrition in food-crops.
l    Reduced availability of fodder.
l    Serious hazards and pollution in more intensive GR areas.
l    High drain on foreign exchange as India has emerged as the highest importer of chemical fertilisers. Most feedstocks of domestic production of fertilisers are also imported. High imports of ediable oil and pulses are also a drain.

Clearly the GR approach to agricultural development should be given up. The following alternative approach should be emphasised.
l    Protecting vast diversity of indigenous seed varieties and organic, low-cost, ecologically protective, self-reliant, local resource based farming methods.
l    Using scientific knowledge to promote the above approach and the 'agro-ecology' approach in better ways. Priorities of farm research and extension network to be entirely changed in this direction.
l    Land-reforms to be implemented effectively.
l    Much higher allocation for agriculture and allied activities with direct benefits to organic farmers and seed-savers, seed protectors.
l    Better implementation of watershed schemes with low-budget small projects implemented with close involvement of rural communities and small farmers.
l Increasing greenery in villages with emphasis on indigeneous species.

Table 1

Table 2
Growth of Value of Output (2004-05 Prices)
(Period averages of annual growth rates)

(Source : 12th Plan Document)

Frontier
Vol. 47, No. 48, June 7 - 13, 2015