Green Revolution in India

The Green Revolution in India was a mid-twentieth-century rise in crop yields driven by high-yielding crop varieties, irrigation, fertilizers, and pesticides. It transformed wheat production most sharply in northwestern India.

High-yielding varieties: Crop varieties bred to produce more grain under favorable conditions, often with fertilizer and reliable water. Semi-dwarf wheat and rice varieties supplied the yield gains at the center of India's transformation.
Norman Borlaug: An American agronomist who bred high-yielding, disease-resistant wheat varieties and received the 1970 Nobel Peace Prize. His Mexican wheat lines became the basis for varieties introduced into India.
Wheat production in India: The cultivation and output of wheat across India. Wheat recorded the clearest early production gains from the new varieties and supporting inputs.
Traditional agriculture: Farming systems based primarily on locally adapted practices, seeds, and resources. The new package shifted production away from many low-input farming practices.
Irrigation in India: The systems and practices used to supply water to Indian farmland. Reliable irrigation reduced dependence on monsoon timing and made intensive cultivation possible.
M. S. Swaminathan: An Indian geneticist and agricultural scientist who helped introduce and adapt high-yielding wheat to India. He championed the wheat program and helped make the imported varieties suitable for Indian conditions.
Public Distribution System (India): India's government network for distributing essential commodities, including subsidized food grains. Larger public grain stocks supported the expansion of subsidized food distribution.
Rain-fed agriculture in India: Indian farming that depends chiefly on rainfall rather than irrigation. The yield gains were concentrated in irrigated areas, unlike much rain-fed farming.
Nitrogen fertilizer: Fertilizer that supplies plants with nitrogen needed to build proteins and grow. High-yield varieties required greater nutrient inputs to realize their potential.
Indian Agricultural Research Institute: India's national agricultural research institute, based in New Delhi. Its scientists tested and developed crop varieties central to the country's yield gains.

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