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The Green Revolution is the term used to describe the transformation in agricultural practices in many parts of the developing world between 1940 and the 1960s. This revolution sought to eradicate get rid of) famine (starvation) in many nations and massively increase food production, by effectively ending subsistence agriculture and replacing it with commercial agriculture. The idea was to transplant many of the systems, ideas and technology of Western farming into (mainly) Asian agriculture,Research institutions developed new High Yielding Varieties of various crops, which spread through the more democratic countries of the region such as Indonesia, Pakistan, India, parts of South America and North Africa.
examine the environmental, economic, and social effects of the green revolution
There were three basic elements in India with regards to the Green Revolution:
1) Continued expansion of farming areas
The area of land under cultivation was being increased. But this was not enough in meeting with rising demand do to growing populations. Other methods were required. Yet, the expansion of cultivable (arable) land also had to continue. So, the Green Revolution continued with this significant expansion of farmlands.
2) Double-cropping existing farmland
Double-cropping was a primary feature of the Green Revolution. Instead of one crop season per year, the decision was made to have two crop seasons per year. The one-season-per-year practice was based on the fact that there is only natural monsoon per year. This was correct. So, there had to be two "monsoons" per year. One would be the natural monsoon and the other an artificial 'monsoon.'
The artificial monsoon came in the form of huge irrigation facilities. Dams were built to hold large volumes of natural monsoon water. Simple irrigation techniques were also adopted.
3) Using seeds with superior genetics
This was the scientific aspect of the Green Revolution. The Indian Council for Agricultural research was re-organized in 1965 and then again in 1973. It developed new strains of high yield value (HYV) seeds, mainly wheat and rice but also millet and corn. This was done through genetic modification and seed selection.
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