Question
What were the social consequences of the green revolution?
Solution
Following are the social consequences of the Green Revolution:
- Agricultural productivity increased sharply because of the new technology. India was able to become self-sufficient in foodgrain production for the first time in decades.
- The satisfactory economic condition of farmers changed their social relationships. Their purchasing power increased, it made the rich farmers better off.
- The farmers who were able to produce a surplus for the market were able to reap the most benefits from the Green Revolution.
- Green Revolution crops were highly profitable, mainly because they yielded more produce. Well-to-do farmers who had access to land, capital, technology, and know-how, and those who could invest in the new seeds and fertilisers, could increase their production and earn more money.
- The introduction of machinery such as tillers, tractors, threshers, and harvesters (in areas such as Punjab and parts of Madhya Pradesh) led to the displacement of the service caste groups who used to carry out these agriculture-related activities.
- It caused a process of 'differentiation' in which the rich grew richer and many of the poor stagnated or grew poorer. It also caused regional inequalities.
