Question

What efforts have been initiated in the direction of Evergreen Revolution?

Answer 1

The direction of Evergreen Revolution:

• Evergreen Revolution was started by Swaminathan. This revolution was started to increase the productivity of crops per hectare of land to supply ever-growing population with food.
• This revolution intended to change types of crops with a modified variety of same crops so, that production is highly increased with less effort and expense.
• This introduced the newer varieties of genetically modified crops, increased use of fertilizers, more investments into agriculture and increased use of technology in fields of agriculture.

Answer 2

Answer:

Green Revolution refers to the great increase in production of food grains (such as rice and wheat) due to the introduction of high-yielding varieties, to the use of pesticides, and to better management techniques.

Green revolution was launched to achieve self- sufficiency in food grains. From 1960’s major changes were made to the traditional agricultural practices. More land was brought under irrigation. Cooperative farming and farm mechanisation was introduced in North-India especially in Punjab, Haryana and Western UP. Usage of fertilisers, pesticides, high – yielding varieties of seeds was done.

Several policies of institutional support were introduced like subsidies for fertiliser and groundwater extraction, minimum support prices for food grains and procurement and public distribution of grains (mostly rice and wheat). This made India an exporter of food grains. India has now become the world’s second largest producer of both wheat and rice and the largest exporter of rice.

Need for Evergreen revolution

• Need for Evergreen revolution arose due to failures of green revolution

Important demerits of green revolution are

• More than five decades after India launched the Green Revolution, it has not only failed to eliminate hunger but also malnutrition is at its high.
• Wheat and rice have largely displaced more nutritious pulses and other cereals such as millets in consumption.
• Soil has lost its fertility due to unscientific application of fertilisers.
• Due to mechanisation of agriculture, the likeliness for sons instead of daughters led to skewed sex ratio in Punjab, Haryana.
• Indian agriculture became cereal- centric and regionally biased.
• Water logging in fields and salinity increased due to excess irrigation.
• Farmers got burdened with debts from moneylenders, banks.

Dr M.S. Swaminathan, father of Green Revolution in India, had forewarned as early as in 1968 that “Intensive cultivation of land without conservation of soil fertility and soil structure would lead ultimately to the springing of deserts”.