Question

Write a short note on the Green Revolution.

Hint:

HYV seeds + fertiliser + irrigation from the 1960s; solved food scarcity but widened regional inequality.

Answer 1

Step 1: What it was:
The Green Revolution was a set of agricultural reforms introduced in India from the mid-1960s, involving the adoption of high-yielding variety (HYV) seeds of wheat and rice, along with chemical fertilisers, pesticides and assured irrigation, pioneered under the guidance of M. S. Swaminathan.

Step 2: Regions and impact:
It was most successful in Punjab, Haryana and western Uttar Pradesh, dramatically increasing foodgrain output and helping India move from food-scarcity and import dependence to self-sufficiency in food production.

Step 3: Social and economic consequences:
While it boosted farmer incomes and reduced hunger, it also widened regional inequality (favouring irrigated areas), increased dependence on capital-intensive inputs benefiting larger farmers more than small ones, and caused ecological problems like soil degradation and groundwater depletion.

Final Answer:
The Green Revolution (from the 1960s) used HYV seeds, fertilisers and irrigation to make India food self-sufficient, but also produced uneven regional benefits and environmental costs.