What are the problems of Green Revolution?

The Green Revolution have been a unique event in the agricultural history of independent India, as it has saved the country from the disasters of hunger, starvation and also made Indian peasant more confident than ever before. But it has its own inherent deficiency segments.

Ever since its inception, the income gap between large, marginal and small farmers has increased the gap between irrigate and rain fed areas has widened and some crops have benefited more than the others, even at the costs of others crops. This has also given birth to a plethora of socio-economic problems.

The spiraling prices of fertilizers, the tendency to use them frequently and the stagnant wheat and rice yields in Punjab and Haryana have combined to confirm that Green Revolution has reached to old age. The fatigue of the Green Revolution is also visible. Some of the problems of green Revolution are:

(i) Inter Crop Imbalances:

The effect of Green. revolution primarily have been felt on food grains including wheat, rice, jowar, bajra, maize and production of these crops have gone high. But it has wrested areas form coarse cerials, pulses and oilseeds.

(ii) Regional Disparities:

The Green Revolution technology has given birth to growing disparities in economic development at interred and intra-regional levels. It has so far affected only 40% of the total cropped area and 60% is still untouched by it. The most affected areas are Punjab, Haryana, Western Uttar Pradesh, A.P, Tamil Nadu in the south but it has hardly touched the eastern region including, Assam, Bihar, West Bengal, Orissa and arid and semi-arid regions. The green revolutions also have effected to only effect to only those areas which were already better from agricultural point of view.

(iii) Unemployment:

Expect to Punjab and Haryana farm mechanization under Green Revolution has created widespread unemployment among agricultural labourers in the rural areas and the worst hit are the poor and the landless people.

(iv) Other Related Problems:

Agriculture under Green Revolution has not grown at a rate which was expected in the beginning. The high yielding variety seeds are also responsive to certain Key inputs such as fertilizers, irrigation as a result there is also increase in the cost of production. Some experts have also commented that the indigenous varieties could also be high yielding under required doses of inputs.

Some experts have also blamed green revolution for destroying nature mechanisms for controlling pests though the loss of diversity the miracle seeds of green revolution have became a mechanisms for breeding new pests and creating new diseases.

The excessive use of ground water for proceeding irrigation to high yielding variety seeds have also led to large scale depletion of ground water and the use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides have severely affected the health of soil.

Though the green revolution did increase food grain production in the country but is has been achieved at the cost of intensive used of irrigation water, fertilizers and other inputs. This has resulted in problems of soil Stalinization. Ground water pollution, nutrient imbalances, emergence of new pests, diseases and environmental degradation.

This has also given the problem of regional inequality in matter of income and production and only western and some southern part of the country have got the maximum benefit of green revolution. The green revolution has only benefited to some big enterprising farmers where as majority of the marginal and small farmers are deprived off from benefits. Thus, the overall impacts of green revolution have failed to influence the agricultural sector.

Considering all these facts the pioneer of Indian Green Revolution Mr. M. S. Swaminathan presently chairman of National Commission on Farmers also gave a new call for another green revolution for doubling the present production level of food grains. For making it a success, he stressed on adopting best scientific techniques and promoting organic farming.

The government has also given urgent attention for initiating another green revolution. The approach paper to Eleventh Plan has optly highlighted such a holistic framework and suggested the following strategy to raise agricultural output. Such as-

(i) Doubling the rate of growth of irrigated areas.

(ii) Improving water management, rain water harvesting, and watershed development.

(iii) Reclaiming degraded land and focusing on soil quality.

(iv) Diversifying the agricultural productivity into high value outputs such as fruit, vegetables, flowers, herbs, spices, medicinal plants, biodiesel but with adequate measures to food security.

(v) Promoting animal husbandry and fishery.

(vi) Providing easy access to credit at affordable rates.

(vii) Improving the incentive structure and functioning of markets and refocusing on land reforms issues.

Thus, the approach to second green revolution seems to aim at efficient use of resources, and conservation of soil, water and ecology on a sustainable basis and in a holistic framework.