Transcript The Green Revolution

The Green Revolution
Operation Maximize Growth of Crops
1.2 Billion People = Lots of
Food Needed!
Economy
 Although agriculture contributes only 21% of India’s
GDP, its importance in the country’s economic, social,
and political fabric goes well beyond this indicator.
 About 50% of Indians farm
 The rural areas are still home to some 72 percent of
the India’s 1.1 billion people, a large number of whom
are poor.
 Most of the rural poor depend on rain-fed agriculture and
fragile forests for their livelihoods.
What if….I know you like the
what if questions!
 They have a drought and don’t grow enough food?
 What if they can’t afford to buy food from somewhere else?
 What if they can’t afford to move or have nowhere else to
move to?
 What if…What if… What if….
 The answer is many people starved.
A few of Many Famines in India’s History
As a result, ten million Indians- about a third
of the area’s population- perished.
Chalisa Famine: In 1782-84, two famines struck south and north India and killed an estimated 11 million people.
Doji Bara famine: El Nino caused a severe failure of the critical South Asian Monsoon which led to a massive shortage of food in 1791-92. It is
said that at least 11 million died of the resultant famine.
Great Famine: Also known as the Madras famine, the drought of 1876-78 in various regions of southern India affected up to
58,500,000 people.

Bengal Famine: Lack of rains caused a shortage of crops.

Bihar’s ‘near-miss’: In the summer of 1966, Bihar and eastern Uttar Pradesh experienced one of the worst droughts in the history of the region during
Around 60 million people were suffering from acute food and
water shortages.
However, timely recognition of the problem due to JP Narayan’s efforts
and food-import from the West- mainly the US under Lyndon Johnsonprevented a large scale catastrophe. On the one hand it forced Indira Gandhi to align with US during the
the 20th century.
non-alignment era, on the other, a new zeal to become self-sufficient came over agricultural India. It sowed the seeds of the Green
Revolution.
That 70s no-show: The 70s were particularly hard on the Indian population. This year’s drought, Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar says, is worse
than that in 1972 with a rainfall deficit of over 19%. That year the global oil prices shot up, resulting in high inflation. Coupled with a two-year drought,
food prices and shortage rocketed up.
2002: A 19% rain deficit in 2002 reduced India`s summer-sown harvest by 22% and the output of winter-sown crops by 13%. This was the last great
drought of this decade which affected 12 states in the country, affecting 29% of the lands. But in the new millennium, India had
enough food or the needy- 60mn tons more than required. The challenge lay in food storage
and distribution.
Monsoons
 Summer Monsoons are
important for crops (bring
rain)
 Winter Monsoons tend to be
more dry
 http://www.youtube.com/wat
ch?v=V0X-VrLiGog
The Green Revolution:
Waging A War Against Hunger
 Norman Borlaug – Professor of Wheat
 Leader of “Green Revolution”
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lg9-HTtgFOk
Green Revolution Plan #1
 Fertilizer:
 replaces nutrients in the soil.
 Helps crops produce more
Fertilize is Cool for Crops!
Environment?
• Plan # 2
• Irrigation
•
provides water year
round
• Not just dependent on rain
• Helps prevent massive
starvation during droughts
Rivers, Rivers Everywhere!
 Nearness to freshwater
(rivers) was important
for irrigation!
Crop Improvement Interactive Map
 http://cdn.physorg.com/newman/gfx/news/hires/2012/thegreenrevo.jpg
What do the Graphs Show?
Problem is better, but they still
depend heavily on RAINFALL
from the SUMMER
MONSOONS!