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Young World
WORLD OF SCIENCE
Not so rosy
DR. T. V. PADMA
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The green revolution also brought with it some negative aspects.
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Photo: H. Vibhu
Pesticides: Excessive use.
In India and other parts of the world, the spectacular growth brought about by the green revolution also had bad effects and serious negatives. Proper cultivation of the high yielding varieties requires a package of inputs including fertilizer and pesticides. Traditional varieties of crops build up resistance over time to local pests and diseases. The new varieties do not have much resistance
and hence pesticides are required. Many of the high yielding varieties are dwarf species and so not enough straw is available as organic manure or animal feed. This also creates an enormous need for chemical fertilizer.
Bad effects
Cultivation of these varieties could be done twice or thrice a year but this also meant that water was needed in great quantities, putting a strain on water resources. The desire for high yields has meant discontinuance of healthy traditional practices like crop rotation and allowing the land to be fallow and getting naturally rejuvenated. In traditional farming irrigation is used as an additional help. But when high yielding varieties of grain are cultivated a huge amount of water is required and irrigation becomes absolutely necessary. Moreover these varieties often replace crops like millets which require much less water. Continuous use of water depletes the soil.
So the major ecological impacts of the green revolution were deterioration in soil quality, over-use of water and pesticides, and decreasing genetic diversity, in many developing nations.
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