Increasing Farm Output
Geography: Cambridge International GCSE (2027 Exams), topic 10.3.4
The Green Revolution
The Green Revolution was a new type of agriculture to improve yields that started in the 1960s.
How it happened
- The Green Revolution started after a food shortage in India and the surrounding countries, where overpopulation was becoming a problem.
- Heavy/High Yield Variety (HYV) seeds started being used.
- Crops such as wheat, rice, sorghum, millet and maize were made resistant to drought, more susceptible to fertiliser and made to have a shorter growing season (so there would be more crops per year).
Benefits
- Yields per hectare at least doubled and, in some cases, yields quadrupled.
- Farmers could buy more things for their farm (e.g. seeds, machinery) with their increased incomes.
- Diets improved as more than one type of crop could be grown.
- There was an increase in employment in places that supplied farm tools and fertilisers.
- More money was available to invest in irrigation. Routes to market were improved because they built better roads.
Problems
- HYVs need more nutrition (e.g. fertilisers) to grow, which can be expensive.
- Because lots of farmers had surplus (leftover) produce, the prices had to be lowered.
- Environmental issues can result from the use of herbicides or weed control, which HYVs need.
- HYVs have been said to be tasteless compared with natural crops.
- The poorest farmers haven’t actually benefited that much, whereas the middle-income farmers have.
Problems today
- While the Green Revolution was successful in 1960, we now have many more people in the world and food shortages are still a global problem.
Test yourself on Increasing Farm Output
When was the Green Revolution?