Agricultural development requires more application of water, fertilizer’s seeds, insecticides, weeding, bigger transportation, and marketing. All these chains of activities require lot of employment. This will definitely increase income of grass root level workers, village transport operators.
The new level of income generated from extended mode of agriculture may give rise to new sense of property rights; thereby construction of houses, transport, road construction for better communication, creation of barrows, rotary ploughs, electrically operated pumps, centralised water supply. This array of activities will create new employment which can absorb a number of displaced employees.
Eminent Economist, Late Dr. Ashok Rudra noted that impact of green revolution created two sets of farmers. One production oriented, profit centred, technology driven crust of medium and big size of farmers and another class of small farmers whose numbers are more. The benefits, concessions, advantages unleashed through the process of green revolution would be cornered by big farmers and medium farmers.
Image Source: clubofmozambique.com
ADVERTISEMENTS:
Prof. Sunhmoy Chakarvarty observed that new technology has helped to build more synergy between agriculture and industry. There are now more two way linkages. Chakarvarty also observes the monetization’s of Indian agriculture in an increased manner. Indian agriculture has now become subject to fluctuation in terms of various cycles directly as activities are related to fuel prices, electricity prices and bank credit costs.
Many theoreticians point out green revolution has not been able to increase in labour’s share in the total output generation. Big farmers have cornered the advantage and opportunities of Green Revolution. Small farmers did not use these advantages due to poor knowledge and inadequate purchasing power.
The big farmers could take advantage of the services provided by the technology, extension service providers, skills of educated people who know uses of seeds and insecticide behaviour but poor farmers could not take advantage of these skills.
ADVERTISEMENTS:
The institutional framework in Indian agriculture which had limited pro-poor marginal farmer bias would work against the interest of this section when any development work is initiated without proper reforms.
The Green Revolution also increased pollution, disrupted ecological balances. Increased use of fertiliser affected natural quality of land, Insecticides killed many fish, endangered species. The ecology was neglected by cutting down of forests in the catchment areas of which resulted in loss of top soil, increased the frequency and danger of floods.
Green revolution thus apart from positive impacts has its negative aspects too. But in a country like India, the gains of Green Revolution should be carried further for self sustained growth of agriculture with proper institutional reforms.