Indian agricultural model: the death of the father of the 'green revolution' revives the debate

India paid tribute this weekend to the father of the "green revolution", Monkombu Sambasivan Swaminathan, who died at the age of 98. Its agricultural innovations have helped ensure the country's food security even if their impact on the environment is questionable.

Monkombu Sambasivan Swaminathan, New Delhi in 2006. AFP - RAVEENDRAN

By: Côme Bastin Follow

Advertising

Read more

From our correspondent in Bangalore,

For most Indians, Monkombu Sambasivan Swaminathan is something of an Independence hero, even though he did not fight the British. In 1947, the Indians were traumatized by several famines. In 1943, millions of Bengalis died as a result of war and crop failure.

Born in 1925, Monkombu Sambasivan Swaminathan has been working since the 50s with Indian agricultural research institutes and American agronomists. The aim is to find rice and wheat seeds adapted to the Indian climate and obtain maximum yield. For this, it selects varieties and mixes some of their genetic characteristics.

From the end of the 60s, the government planted these seeds, especially in the states of Punjab and Haryana, very flat and fertile. In a decade, the results are impressive. While India used to produce 50 million tonnes of foodgrains, it now produces 330 million tonnes and exports them. However, the Indian agricultural model is now going through a crisis. We remember the big demonstrations of farmers around the capital New Delhi in 2021.

" READ ALSO In India, the revolt of farmers explodes and repression too

The "green revolution" has been accompanied by hyper-agricultural specialization in these states in which wheat and rice monocultures are practiced in turn, with very large reinforcements of chemical fertilizers and insecticides. This poses health problems for farmers and consumers alike.

Peasants find themselves prisoners of this model. That's why their anger exploded when Narendra Modi's government wanted to liberalize the Indian agricultural market. This weekend, farmers blocked a train line in Punjab. They intend to continue to protest as this agricultural unionist explains: "There are more and more droughts and the water reserves of the Punjab soils are running out. If we want to stop the phenomenon, we must diversify our harvests, because rice monoculture consumes a lot of water. The problem is that only the prices of rice and wheat are guaranteed by the state. Those who try to grow something else end up selling it at a loss. The State must therefore supervise this transition. It's not just about money, it's about saving biodiversity and our societies."

The father of the Indian "green revolution" had himself warned against the excesses of monoculture at a time of climate change.

NewsletterReceive all the international news directly in your mailbox

I subscribe

Follow all the international news by downloading the RFI application

Share:

Read on on the same topics:

  • India
  • Agriculture and Fisheries
  • Trade and Commerce
  • Environment
  • Climate
  • History
  • Our selection
  • Feeding