Second Green Revolution


Since years we humans are pondering over the issue of “Green Revolution” to curb the widely spread famine across our country due to the scarcity of food production. As is said that, “Necessity it the mother of invention“, so it has now become our necessity which has again given birth to the issue of inducing another “Green Revolution” in our country which will perhaps be the 2nd Green Revolution of it’s kind.
But before that we have to rethink over the issue that whether the 2nd Green Revolution will prove to be a boon or a bane for the Indian farmer and agriculture?
It’s not hidden from anyone of us that the full consequences of the wide spread famine were averted or perhaps delayed in India by the induction of “Green Revolution”
While the scarcity of food feared has been averted but the Green Revolution technology has exacerbated social tensions prevailing everywhere in the entire nation. The inputs required are expensive, so the improved yields are realized only by those who are already in a position to pay for them. This way the rich farmers are becoming richer whereas the farm families who had rarely engaged in wage labour now find themselves drawn into the paid work for others.
Let's have a look on both the revolution in the field of Agriculture.
The first green revolution in 1960 produced technologies that belong to the people, there were no intellectual property rights or patents,. If any one 'owned' the green revolution, it was the farmer. It was an open, transparent, collaborative effort.
But the contours of this newer revolution formally called the Indo- US knowledge Initiative an Agricultural research and education – have been kept so secret and the initiative centres on the privately owned technologies – genetically modified plants like wal mart , to name a few.
Question arises who is the real beneficiary – a farmer or some one else?
The proposed 'revolution' is a joint US- India initiative aimed at promoting agricultural biotechnology and the interests of private corporations. It has been cleverly packaged under the name of an agro- economic phenomenon. Currently, farmers can sell their produce at special markets set up by the government but a retail giant such as Wal Mart would be able to sell food for much lower prices and so would threaten the farmer's livelihoods.
Again question arises that, “Will it change the farmer's condition“?
What is known about the new Indo-US deal is that it will focus on developing agricultural biotechnology, accessing biological resources in Indian gene banks, and discussing India's intellectual property rights regime — all of which are of crucial interest to the United States.
To develop the GM crops (and fish and livestock) that will dominate the collaborative research, the US bioscience corporations involved want access to the rich biodiversity in Indian gene banks, research stations and university collections.
But many in India are uneasy about providing the United States with access to its genetic resources. Will, for example, the requirements of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), which the United States has not ratified, be met?
Unless the CBD terms are met, India cannot allow US corporations access to its genetic wealth. US failure to meet the CBD provisions would leave India in default of its own convention commitments and violate the provisions of its national law, the Biological Diversity Act.
As for India's intellectual property regime, the new initiative's board has discussed rights to products that the planned research programmes will develop. Many fear that this means that India's Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers Rights Act — the only law in the world granting legal rights specifically to farmers — could come under threat from US pressure.
Along with multinationals such as Monsanto, the United States has been lobbying for a change in India's intellectual property laws to introduce patents on seeds and genes, and dilute the provisions protecting farmers' rights.
A combination of physical access to India's gene banks and a possible new intellectual property law that allows seed patents will in essence deliver India's genetic wealth into US hands. This would give a severe blow to India's food security and self-sufficiency.
And this is not all. The US negotiators have asked for restrictions on imports of US farm products into India to be removed. This amounts to asking for the right to export GM crops and foods to India.
We all are aware of the recent rise in the incidents of massive suicides by the debt-ridden Indian farmers whose failed crops gave a great shatter to their dreams. Such baffling incidents are alarmingly increasing day by day and miseries do not seem to end for such farmers just because of the interference of countries like US in Indian agriculture.
No doubt that, “In the age of scientific miracles, every human endeavor looks to Science for the Silver bullet to pierce the heart of the problem”. But isn’t it too much to ask of it? What will Science in the field of agriculture do when there will be no trace of surviving farmer to harvest the fields.
It is said that “For those who do listen, the desert speaks”. No doubt we are in need of “2nd Green Revolution” to end the food crisis. But along with this we have to safeguard our farmer’s rights too and should shape our agricultural destiny in such a manner that farming once again became the pride of our nation.
Other wise it wouldn’t be wrong to say that the US cow's life is far better than Indian farmer who gets 3 $ per day from government.
“JAI JAWAN JAI KISAAN”

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