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INSTITUTO SUPERIOR DE CIÊNCIAS E EDUCAÇÃO A DISTÂNCIA

FACULDADE DE CIÊNCIAS DE EDUCAÇÃO

CURSO DE LICENCIATURA EM ENSINO DE GEOGRAFIA

Green Revolution

Angélica Paulo Francisco Zunguze

Maxixe, Junho de 2022

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INSTITUTO SUPERIOR DE CIÊNCIAS E EDUCAÇÃO A DISTÂNCIA

FACULDADE DE CIÊNCIAS DE EDUCAÇÃO

CURSO DE LICENCIATURA EM ENSINO DE PORTUGUÊS

Green Revolution

Trabalho do Campo submetido a

coordenação do curso de
licenciatura em ensino de
Geografia da UNISCED

O/a Tutor/(a):

Angélica Paulo Francisco Zunguze Código: 41220159

Maxixe, Junho de 2022

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Index

Page
1.0.Introduction ............................................................................................................................... 3

1.1.Objectives ................................................................................................................................. 3

1.2.Methodology ............................................................................................................................. 3

2.0.Green revolution ....................................................................................................................... 4

2.1.Features of the Green Revolution ............................................................................................. 4

2.2.Beginning and causes of the Green Revolution ........................................................................ 4

2.3.Advantages and Disadvantages of the Green Revolution ......................................................... 5

2.4.Consequences of the Green Revolution .................................................................................... 6

2.5.Criticism of the Green Revolution ............................................................................................ 6

3.0.Conclusion ................................................................................................................................ 8

4.0.References ................................................................................................................................. 9
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1.0.Introduction
The Green Revolution was a set of techniques, methods and innovations applied in agriculture
after World War II, especially in underdeveloped countries to increase food production. Among
the new technologies and techniques, the genetic manipulation of plants, the increase in
agricultural mechanization and the use of fertilizers and chemical pesticides on a large scale
stand out.
This is how the work intends to focus on the green revolution. To better approach the subject, the
work was structured as follows: introduction, objectives, methodology, development, conclusion
and bibliographic references.

1.1.Objectives
General
 Understanding the green revolution.
Specific
 Features the green revolution.
 Explain the origin of the green revolution.
 Describe the Advantages and Disadvantages of the Green Revolution

1.2.Methodology
For the elaboration of the work, it was based on bibliographic consultations cited in the text and
in the bibliographic references.
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2.0.Green revolution
The term Green Revolution refers to the invention and dissemination of new seeds and
agricultural practices that allowed a vast increase in agricultural production starting in the 1960s
in the United States and Europe and, in the following decades, in other countries.[1] It is a broad
program designed to increase agricultural production in the world through the intensive use of
industrial inputs, mechanization and reduction in the use of labor.(Lucas, 2018).
The model is based on the intensive use of genetically altered seeds (particularly hybrid seeds),
industrial inputs (fertilizers and pesticides), mechanization, mass production of homogeneous
products and reduced use of labor. The Green Revolution is also credited with the extensive use
of technology in planting, irrigation and harvesting, as well as in production management.

2.1.Features of the Green Revolution

The Green Revolution presented as its main characteristic the use of modern techniques of
cultivation and agricultural production based on the use of technology in different production
scales. The main objective of this production model is to increase productivity. To this end, there
is a set of pillars that enable production gains, the main purpose of the Green
Revolution.(Manito, 2011).
Therefore, the characteristics of the Green Revolution are:
• Mechanization of crops with the use of tractors, harvesters and seeders, among other equipment
that replaces human labor;
• Mechanized irrigation of crops through the use of equipment such as sprinklers and drippers;
• Use of agricultural inputs, especially pesticides, pesticides and fertilizers, which fight pests and
increase productivity;
• The use of genetically modified seeds as well as the creation of so-called transgenics;
• The high investment in research and development, which is the basis for productive innovations
used in the field.

2.2.Beginning and causes of the Green Revolution

The history of the Green Revolution is linked to the post-World War II economic and social
context (1939-1945), a historical moment in which there was great concern about food
production around the world. Hunger was recognized as a global threat, as several countries
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faced a supply crisis and there was a great fear that, over the years, world agricultural production
would not be enough to feed the entire population of the globe. .(Lucas, 2018).
Therefore, several researchers and rural producers began to build initiatives to increase the
production of agricultural products in the world. In the view of these experts, world agriculture
should focus on production gains, that is, on a greater volume produced at the lowest possible
cost. In this way, agricultural models came to fruition with the use of high technology, a key
element in the practice of the Green Revolution.
One of the main exponents of the Green Revolution was the American agronomist Norman
Ernest Borlaug (1914-2009). He was one of the pioneers in implementing and disseminating
modern farming techniques, being known worldwide as the “father of the Green Revolution”.
His studies were focused on the great objective of the revolution: to increase agricultural
production worldwide through the use of modern farming techniques. He was a great advocate of
transgenics as well as the entire production chain based on the use of technology in the field.
.(Lucas, 2018).

2.3.Advantages and Disadvantages of the Green Revolution

The Green Revolution, like every economic process, had advantages and disadvantages based on
the impact that this mode of production had on society. It is undeniable that its implementation
provoked a transformation of agricultural production, and its main advantages were:
• The increase in productivity, in particular, through the reduction of losses in the field and the
greater volume produced per hectare;
• The use of modern farming techniques in the field, based on the development of machines,
equipment and inputs;
• Investment in science and technology for the development of agricultural activities, through the
support of public and private agents.
However, despite the numerous benefits, especially linked to production gains, the Green
Revolution was not without controversy, especially in environmental and social areas. Its
disadvantages were considered:
• The environmental impacts caused by the production method, such as deforestation of
vegetation and soil and water pollution;
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• The rural exodus, fostered by the mechanization of production, as well as by land concentration
and social inequality;
• The use of chemical elements that are harmful to human health, such as some compounds
found in pesticides.

2.4.Consequences of the Green Revolution

Despite the numerous technological and productive advances, the Green Revolution has a set of
consequences, especially negative, when it comes to the environment and social equality. First,
the environmental impacts caused by the revolution in different ecosystems around the globe are
visible. Deforestation, soil compaction, unrestrained use of water sources and pollution caused
by chemicals are some of the harmful consequences of the revolution for the environment. These
impacts resulted in the disruption of the natural environmental balance as well as harming
animals and plants. .(Lucas, 2018).
Furthermore, the social impact that the Green Revolution had on different societies should be
highlighted, with emphasis on traditional populations and rural workers:
• the mechanization of agriculture increased unemployment;
• the use of genetically modified seeds made access to productive inputs difficult;
• environmental degradation has harmed small rural communities;
• the increase in production costs forced many farmers to sell their properties.
This scenario resulted in impacting social consequences, such as the increase in social inequality,
the concentration of land and the difficulty of small farmers in marketing products in a highly
competitive market. In addition, it is highlighted that hunger is still a constant, and many families
still do not have the economic conditions of access to food in different parts of the globe.

2.5.Criticism of the Green Revolution

If, on the one hand, defenders of the Green Revolution argue in favor of the importance of this
process for improving agricultural productivity and food generation, there are, on the other hand,
those who weave heavy criticism, both for socioeconomic reasons and for environmental factors.
Environmental groups claim that the Green Revolution was responsible for the disorderly
expansion of agriculture over natural areas with the expansion of the agricultural frontier. In this
context, the Brazilian Cerrado is often cited as an area largely devastated throughout the 20th
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century by agribusiness, since the acidic soils and difficult to cultivate in this region were
occupied by the development of correction techniques, such as liming (addition of limestone to
the soil to regulate acidity). (Veduc, 2007).
In addition, there are those who claim that the expansion of cultivation techniques also allowed
the advancement of monocultures and large estates, given that the values of investments in these
techniques are generally high. Thus, in a way, family farming was harmed, according to the
content of these criticisms, which consider that the process of the Green Revolution was not
accompanied by a policy of democratization of the countryside with the implementation of
agrarian reform.
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3.0.Conclusion
The Green Revolution is understood as the successive transformations and technological
evolutions promoted in the agrarian space through the introduction of advanced techniques and
equipment aimed at increasing soil productivity, especially with regard to food cultivation.
The beginning of the Green Revolution is generally attributed to the 1940s, although the term
was created in the 1960s. This transformation in the agricultural environment emerged as a
consequence of studies initiated in the 1920s by the Rockefeller Foundation, an American
company contracted by the government of Mexico to increase agricultural productivity and
reduce its fragility in relation to climate and market variations.
The main objective of these transformations in the countryside is to fight hunger in the world,
being also an important tool to undo the ideal that the excessive number of people in the world
could result in the absence of food, which would not increase according to the population
volume.
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4.0.References
Lucas, K. (2018). Origin of the Green Revolution, São Paulo: Campos.
Manito, G. (2011). Green revolution: characteristic origins, advantages and disadvantages.
Brazil: Golbekian.
Veduc (2007). Why the green revolution is important. Lisbon: Porto.