From Yield to Nutrition: Unpacking the impacts of Green Revolution on Public Health

Abstract

India experienced periodic famines and droughts that made it necessary to import food. In 1950, the nation was experiencing a shortage of food grains due to the fast expanding population, which was placing increasing strain on the agricultural sector. There was a higher population during that time, along with lower productivity and food output. The Green Revolution has contributed to a greater sense of self-assurance in our ability to produce food grains and maintain a balance between population increase and agricultural output. The output of rice and wheat, two important crops, has increased significantly as a result of the Green Revolution, which is its most notable accomplishment. The first Green Revolution had an impact on society and the environment, both positively and negatively. The current effects on human health are really concerning. Despite the enormous amount of agricultural output, there are some concerns over the nation's level of food security. For the nation, a second Green Revolution is desperately needed. It is necessary to encourage and provide a better, nutrient-dense variety of dominant crop seeds in order to intensify and diversify food production.

There have been gains in food production worldwide in emerging countries such as India. The green revolution was one such innovation. Notably, the World Bank reports that the green revolution has been successful in temporarily reducing rural poverty in India, but health outcomes have not improved. Several notable negative repercussions of the green revolution surfaced in the years that followed prior to the green revolution, the benefits and drawbacks were not the subject of any independent research. Some interventions are not sustainable and go against the laws of balance and functioning found in nature. India's "Green Revolution" began in the 1960s when high-yielding wheat and rice varieties were brought in to increase food production and decrease poverty and hunger. Following the Green Revolution, government activities caused the output of wheat and rice to quadruple, while local rice types and millets saw a decline in productivity. As a result, several local crops perished and were no longer cultivated.