Question

Provide a BRIEF summary of the debate on the advantages and disadvantages of the green revolution

Answer 1

Today, a lot of farmers are practicing modern farming methods under the Green Revolution, which is an alternative solution pushed by the government to replace traditional ways to grow crops. Its main objectives include making cultivation and harvesting more efficient, as well as eliminating hunger all over the world. But due to its methods, this technology has become a subject of heated debates on whether it can really do good than bad for the society.

Under Green Revolution, machinery processes are being used in farming. This modern method is seen as labor intensive, where farmers make use of tractors, instead of oxen and horses, to plow and cultivate their lands, making the process faster and easier. It is a combination of controlling chemicals in the soil, weeds and pests, mechanization of agriculture, and genetic adaptation of plants to suit daily needs.

Advantages of Green Revolution

1. It allows agricultural operations on a large scale.
The Green Revolution has brought farming to a massive scale. Looking at the previous agricultural sector, crops that were grown in huge volumes are only those that required extensive human intervention to grow healthy, which means that it was not that easy. But now, we have made things easier, where most crops are being grown on an industrial scale even by the smaller farming community.

2. It has the potential to be able to grow any crop anywhere.
This innovative farming process has made it possible for agriculture to be done almost everywhere. Though you still cannot grow potatoes on a beach, you will be able to utilize most types of terrain or land to grow crops with it. This means that farmers do not have to be at the most fertile lands to be able to do their thing, as the Green Revolution has made it possible for agriculture to be more doable everywhere.

3. It eliminates the need to fallow lands.
This agricultural method has allowed farmers to re-plant similar crops without fallowing their lands, which is known to be a costly process. Though there are some crops on which soil still needing to be fallowed, the Green Revolution has certainly made farming cost-efficient.

Disadvantages of Green Revolution

1. It can cause pests and weeds to develop hazards.
This modern method of farming is believed to cause the emergence of poisonous weeds and pests that are difficult to control. Aside from this, there is also the concern of cross pollination between genetically modified organisms and traditional plants that could result in invasive species.

2. It employs mono-culturing.
One of the biggest arguments against this modern technology is that it uses mono-culturing. This practice is known to require large tracts of land, which are not often available, intensive amounts of fertilizers and large volumes of water, bring about difficulties to farmers.

3. It would have difficulties with varied soil type by location.
As the Green Revolution does not take into consideration the type of soil for farming, only considering the area and doing what it needs for crop cultivation, it does not do anything to ensure soil fertility is replenished or retained.