Introduction
The modernization of agricultural processes started in Mexico in the 1940s and is referred to as the “Green Revolution.” The Green Revolution technology spread globally in the 1950s and 1960s due to its effectiveness in raising agricultural production there, leading to a considerable increase in produce generated per acre of agriculture. The American scientist and agricultural enthusiast Norman Borlaug is frequently credited for helping to launch the Green Revolution. He started performing research in Mexico in the 1940s and created novel, high-yield wheat types that were disease resistant. Mexico was able to produce more wheat than was required by its inhabitants by combining Borlaug’s wheat varieties with new mechanical agricultural technology, which resulted in Mexico being a wheat exporter by the 1960s. Nearly 50% of the nation’s wheat supply was being imported before the usage of these kinds. The 1950s and 1960s saw the global adoption of the Green Revolution’s innovations as a result of its success in Mexico. For instance, in the 1940s, the United States imported almost half of its wheat; however, adopting Green Revolution technologies, it became self-sufficient in the 1950s and an exporter by the 1960s. The Rockefeller Foundation and other organizations are working to maintain the use of Green Revolution technologies to increase food production for a growing global population. Numerous international government agencies, like the Ford and Rockefeller Foundation, supported more studies. This support allowed Mexico to establish The International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center, a global scientific organization, in 1963.
The Green Revolution research carried out by Borlaug and this institution, in turn, helped nations all over the world. Because of its fast-expanding population, India, for instance, was in danger of experiencing a significant famine in the early 1960s. After that, Borlaug and the Ford Foundation researched there and created a new type of rice called IR8 that, when grown with irrigation and fertilizers, produced more grain per plant. India is one of the world’s top rice producers, and IR8 rice is widely consumed. Green Revolution’s plant technologies, high-yield varieties, domesticated plants cultivated (Gollin et al.), and specifically to respond to fertilizers and produce more grain per acre sown were the crops developed during the Green Revolution. The words harvest index, photosynthate allocation, and insensitivity to day length are frequently used with these plants to describe what makes them successful. The plant’s above-ground weight is what is meant by the harvest index. Plants with giant seeds were chosen to produce as much as possible during the Green Revolution. These plants all developed the ability to make larger seeds due to selective breeding. The result was a higher grain output and a heavier above-ground weight due to the larger bases. The photosynthate allocation then increased due to this higher above-ground weight. It utilized photosynthesis more effectively by maximizing the seed or food section of the plant since the energy generated during this process traveled straight to the food portion of the plant (Spanne). Finally, researchers like Borlaug could double a crop’s yield by selectively breeding plants that were not sensitive to day length since the plants were not restricted to specific regions of the globe based merely on the amount of light available to them.
Following the Second World War, food scarcity became a significant issue for many nations. Many countries experienced severe drought and famine, which led to mass starvation. Due to greater productivity, the green revolution gained popularity and helped to enhance food production. The development of high-yielding crop types to address the food crisis was made possible by the revolution. The program significantly increased the production of wheat and rice. Using synthetic fertilizers and agrochemicals by farmers could increase yields even more. Crop varieties resistant to disease were created through selective breeding and genetic engineering. Therefore, the green revolution has made it feasible to produce more food with fewer resources while feeding more people.
The Pros of the Green Revolution
There is an increase in food production. Before, it was nearly impossible to produce food on a large scale, and conventional food production techniques required a lot of labor. Large-scale food production became unprofitable as a result. Initiatives from the green revolution have changed the agriculture industry and enabled farmers to produce at unheard-of levels.
Thanks to research and development, farmers worldwide benefit from improved crop yield using modern equipment and agrochemicals.
Secondly, there is consistent production despite seasonal variations. Farmers primarily relied on the weather to raise livestock and develop crops. The show foresaw significant changes due to unpredictable weather patterns and ongoing bug infestations. The development of better crop strains has been the subject of extensive research thanks to the green revolution.
These enhanced crop types are more resilient to pests and tolerant to challenging environmental conditions. Thanks to their exceptional quality, farmers can sustain constant yields even in harsh situations. Food supply and demand worldwide greatly influence food prices and crop types with high yields, enabling farmers to harvest more food for extended periods. Disease-tolerant cultivars contribute to consistency in food production, reducing price volatility and boosting food availability.
Thirdly, food costs less when it is more readily available to consumers than when it is in short supply. With today’s farming methods, farmers can grow more crops with fewer resources and in more occasional areas. Farmers can now charge less and still profit because of the decline in production costs.
Another importance of the green revolution is that it minimizes the demand for land cultivation. Following is a traditional method of land preparation that enables farmers to operate in their fields all year long. In regions with little rainfall, the approach enhances the soil’s capacity to retain water Farmers in the low-precipitation areas had to wait one or two seasons following a harvest before they could sow again under the practice of following.
Nowadays, thanks to initiatives from the green revolution, farmers may harvest all year round without having to leave any land fallow. Fields can regularly produce thanks to agrochemicals, fertilizers, nutrient additions, and contemporary irrigation techniques. For farmers, this ongoing production increases income.
Another pro of the green revolution is that politically and economically, it eases hunger and poverty in underdeveloped nations like Africa. Despite improving food production, malnutrition, and hunger continue to be severe issues in developing countries. More developing nations are turning to green revolution programs to combat hunger. Many small-scale farmers in emerging nations can now meet their needs thanks to modern farming techniques. Many developing countries now export agricultural products to make money abroad thanks to sophisticated farming techniques. These foreign profits decrease trade deficits while fostering economic growth in underdeveloped nations.
Issues and Disadvantages of the Green Revolution
Economically, it produces a lot of food waste. Farmers now have more food than the market wants. Food is wasted up to 40% of the time along the supply chain. Every year, humans throw away billions of tons of food, unheard of before the green revolution.
It also fosters a reliance on fertilizer, which is unsuitable for the soil. The green revolution’s initiatives have made fertilizer subsidies possible for modern food production. But frequent, heavy fertilizer application causes dirt to become acidic. Governments also spend a lot of money on fertilizer subsidies that could instead be utilized to build out the nation’s social infrastructure.
Another negative impact is that it causes sterility in seeds. Most corporations now engaged in agricultural genetic modification desire to patent their work to maximize profits. The patents require farmers to buy fresh seeds each growing season. Dependence on sterile sources raises farmers’ total cost of output. The green revolution supports plant and pest resistance. Although insecticides can reduce and manage pest populations in planting fields, ongoing use fosters pest resistance. Pests gradually resist chemical treatments, making their eradication challenging and expensive. Additionally, plants are adjusting to the chemical makeup of herbicides.
Socially, the green revolution causes customers health issues. Consumer health is seriously endangered by agriculture’s reliance on pesticides and herbicides. Some agrochemicals contain extremely harmful substances that encourage the growth of cancer and other dangerous illnesses.
Many criticize the green revolution due to its political consequences(Paarlberg). Introducing new farming methods and technology has only benefitted the rich because they can afford adequate irrigation facilities and buy inputs needed to produce great yields.
Conclusion
The Green Revolution introduced dwarf cultivars of wheat and rice that could respond to fertilization without lodging, increasing crop output in underdeveloped countries. To increase the production of crops cultivated in infertile soils by farmers with limited access to fertilizer, which makes up the majority of farmers in developing countries, we now need a second Green Revolution. The second Green Revolution will be based on crops tolerating low soil fertility, just as the first Green Revolution was based on crops responding to high soil fertility. Over a century has passed since the discovery of significant genetic variation in the production of crops in infertile soil. We now have a better knowledge of the features that cause this variation as of late. To determine soil exploration and, subsequently, nutrient uptake, root architecture is crucial. The production of adventitious roots, lateral branching, and basal-root gravitropism are architectural features that are genetically controlled.
The acquisition of phosphorus from infertile soils depends on architectural characteristics that improve topsoil foraging. The uptake of immobile nutrients like phosphorus and potassium depends on genetic diversity in the length and density of root hairs. Genetic variation in root cortical aerenchyma production and secondary development (‘root etiolation’) is vital to lower the metabolic expenditures of root growth and soil exploration. Genetic variation in rhizosphere alteration through the efflux of protons, organic acids, and enzymes is crucial for mobilizing nutrients like phosphate and transition metals and avoiding aluminum toxicity. It can initiate acquisition, improve, and increase salt tolerance by manipulating ion transporters. mprThe majority of these properties are under intricate genetic regulation, with the notable exceptions being rhizosphere alteration and ion transporters. In low-fertility soils, genetic diversity in these attributes is linked to significant yield increases, as demonstrated by phosphate efficiency in beans and soybean. Selection for specific root features by direct phenotypic evaluation or molecular markers is anticipated to be more effective in crop breeding for low-fertility soils than traditional field screening. Genetic variation in rhizosphere alteration through the efflux of protons, organic acids, and enzymes is crucial for mobilizing nutrients like phosphate and transition metals and avoiding aluminum toxicity. This can improve the acquisition of nitrate e improved, and salt tolerance can be increased by manipulating ion transporters. Most of these properties are under intricate genetic regulation, except for rhizosphere alteration and ion transporters. In low-fertility soils, genetic diversity in these attributes is linked to significant yield increases, as demonstrated by phosphate efficiency in beans and soybean. Selection for specific root features by direct phenotypic evaluation or molecular markers is anticipated to be more effective in crop breeding for low-fertility soils than traditional field screening.
Works Cited
Gollin, Douglas, et al. “Two Blades of Grass: The Impact of the Green Revolution.” 2018, https://doi.org/10.3386/w24744.
“Green Revolution: Green Roofs.” SciVee, 2011, https://doi.org/10.4016/37220.01.
Horne, James E., and Maura McDermott. The next Green Revolution: Essential Steps to a Healthy, Sustainable Agriculture. Food Products Press, 2001.
Paarlberg, Robert. “The Green Revolution Controversy.” Food Politics, 2013, https://doi.org/10.1093/wentk/9780199322398.003.0006.
Spanne, Autumn. “Green Revolution: History, Technologies, and Impact.” Treehugger, Treehugger, 6 Aug. 2021, https:/w.treehugger.com/green-revolution-history-technologies-and-impact-5189596.
Swaminathan, M. S. “The Impact of Dwarfing Genes on Wheat Production.” 50 Years of Green Revolution, 2017, pp. 1–8. https://doi.org/10.1142/9789813200074_0001.
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