ri lt re and ood ana ement 8.13
oilseeds, maize, barley on the margins, etc., were it is more due to deforestation and
negative impacts. extension of cultivation in ecologically
fragile areas. At the same time, there
2. Ecological Impact is an excessive pressure of animals on
The most devastating negative impact of the forests—mainly by goats and sheeps.
Green Revolution was ecological. When the (ii) Toxic Level in Food Chain: Toxic level
issues related with it were raised by the media, in the food chain of India has increased to
scholars, experts and environmentalists, neither such a high level that nothing produced
the governments nor the masses (what to say of in India is fit for human consumption.
the farmers of the GR region— they were not Basically, unbridled use of chemical
educated enough to understand the side effects of pesticides and weedicides and their
the inputs of the GR) were convinced. But a time industrial production combined together
came when the government and other government had polluted the land, water and air to
agencies started doing studies and surveys focused such an alarmingly high level that the
around the ecological and environmental issues. whole food chain had been a prey of high
The major ones among them may be glanced in toxicity.
their chronological order:
(i) Critical Ecological Crisis: On the basis conclusion
of on-field studies24 it was found that The above studies and the reports were eye-openers
critical ecological crises in the GR region in the area of ecologically non-sustainable kind of
are showing up— agriculture as well as a big question mark on it.
(a) Soil fertility being degraded: Due This was the time when agro-scientists suggested
to the repetitive kind of cropping for a really ‘green’ (eco-friendly) revolution, which
pattern being followed by the farmers is today known among the experts with many
as well as the excessive exploitation more names—the evergreen revolution, the second;
of the land; lack of a suitable crop green revolution and green farming.
combination and the crop intensity,
etc. croPPInG PAtterns
(b) Water table falling down: As the new The set and combination of crops which farmers
HYV seeds required comparatively opt for in a particular region, in their farm practices,
very high amount of water for is cropping pattern of the region. Multiplicity of
irrigation—5 tonnes of water needed cropping systems has been one of main features
to produce 1 kg of rice. of Indian agriculture and it is attributed to
(c) Environmental degradation: Due rainfed agriculture and prevailing socio-economic
to excessive and uncontrolled use situations of the farming community.
of chemical fertilizers, pesticides The cropping pattern in India has undergone
and herbicides have degraded the significant changes over time. As the cultivated
environment by increasing pollution area remains more or less constant, the increased
levels in land, water and air. In India demand for food, because of increase in population
and urbanisation, puts agricultural land under
24. Based on various empirical studies in the 1990s
conducted separately by Vandana Shiva, C.H. stress, resulting in crop intensification and crop
Hanumantha Rao, ICAR, Planning Commission, etc. substitution of food crops with commercial crops.