The introduction of High Yielding Varieties (HYV) of seeds and the increased use of chemical fertilisers and irrigation are known collectively as Green Revolution. It provided the increase in production needed to make India self-sufficient in foodgrains, thus improved the agricultural sector in India. High yielding wheat was first introduced to India in 1968 by American agronomist Norman Borlaug. Borlaug has been hailed as father of Green Revolution, but MS Swaminathan is known as 'Father of Green Revolution in India'.. Thus, Green Revolution is the term used to describe a new strategy of agricultural development introduced in the late 1960s, in India. It brought about significant increase in food production in India.
The main features of Green Revolution in India were as follows
(i) High Yielding Varieties seeds promised to produce much greater amounts of grain on a single plant.
(ii) Use of advanced technology, chemical fertilisers, pesticides and well-developed system of irrigation.
(iii) These steps solved food crisis in India and made India self-sufficient in foodgrains.
(iv) This led to higher income growth and reduced poverty.
(v) This led to commercialisation of agriculture. In many areas, Green Revolution is associated with loss of soil fertility due to increased use of chemical fertilisers. Also, continuous use of groundwater for tubewell irrigation has reduced the water level below the ground.