The Green Revolution

Background to the Green Revolution In the mid 1960's scientists working in Mexico and the Philippines and backed by money from the USA developed new varieties of wheat, maize and rice. With these new varieties farmers could increase yields from each hectare by two or three times. These hybrid varieties became known as HYV's or high-yielding varieties The use of chemical fertilisers was also increased In less than 5 years yields of rice, wheat and maize rose by up to 40% in many countries in Asia including India and Bangladesh. Grants and loans were made available to buy the new seeds and fertilizers Although there were many advantages of HYV's there were also disadvantages Advantages                                                                                          Disadvantages Yields increased three times Multiple cropping Other crops grown which varied the diet Surplus to sell in cities creating a profit improving the standard of living Allows purchase of fertilizers, machinery etc Poor farmers could not afford HYV's fertilizers and machinery. Some borrowed and ended up with large debts HYV's need more water and fertilizer, which is expensive New machinery replaced manual labour leading to unemployment and rural-urban migration

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