Meaning of green revolution (what is it, concept and definition)

What is Green Revolution:

The green revolution was an agricultural transformation that occurred between 1960 and 1980, based on the accelerated increase in food production, based on the selective crossing of species and the use of fertilizers, pesticides, and new irrigation techniques.

Its novelty was in increasing food production in the countryside without the need to expand cultivated land, but by maximizing the yield of the areas already exploited. This helped famine-affected countries.

The key foods for the development of this revolution were cereals, particularly rice, corn and wheat. The crossing of various types of these species allowed the development of stronger and more productive strains. In addition to the use of fertilizers and pesticides, production increased significantly.

Origin of the green revolution

The green revolution sought to solve the problem of insufficient production in the countryside in response to the rapid growth of the population in the 20th century. Back then, that was one of the causes of hunger and death from malnutrition.

It was Norman Ernest Borlaug, an agricultural engineer from the United States of America, who promoted this revolution thanks to the support of different agricultural organizations at the international level.

Since 1943, Borlaug has been involved in agricultural research in Sonora, Mexico. His work had been very successful and aroused the attention of India, a country that invited him as an adviser to find a solution to the famine. Little by little, the project grew in different countries.

Criticism of the green revolution

However, although the famine problem was solved, the malnutrition problem continued. Indeed, the new strains of these cereals proved to yield more, but their nutritional qualities were inferior to the original strains.

Added to this is the environmental impact of the green revolution, a consequence of the use of fuel-based tractors, the construction of dams and irrigation systems, high energy consumption and the use of polluting chemical products, among others.

Currently, the problem of world hunger is not related to the productive capacity of the field, but to the food distribution chain and its costs. For many sectors of society, food is beyond their economic reach.

See also:

• Ecology, agriculture.