agroeco degradation after green revolution

8/14/2019 Agroeco Degradation After Green Revolution

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This Assignment Prepared By

Name of the Group Member s Roll No.

1. Sadiatul Fatema* 05071219

2. Md. Emtieaj Ahmed 05071221

3. Farzana Rahman. 05071238

4. Md. Saiduzzaman Pulak 05071250

5. Md. Ibrahim Kholil 05071251

6. Saiful Islam. 05071302

7. Shafiqul Islam. 05071366

*Group Leader


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Letter of Transmittal

October, 27, 2009.

Najneen JabinLecturerDepartment of EconomicsJagannath University, Dhaka.

Dear Madam,

Its our pleasure to submit you our Report on The Agro Ecological degradation after GreenRevolution.

We have prepared this report based on the data gathered from various books, relatedorganizations and internet. For the preparation of the report we have focused on the informationthat was found to be reliable and valid.

We truly appreciate our topic to be an important and significant one to enhance knowledge

without which we would be surely in vague position. And we deeply regret for any inconveniencelocated in this report and we shall always be available for any clarification required.

Sincerely yours

Sadiatul FatemaRoll-05071219(On behalf of the group-H)3rd year 1 st semesterDepartment of economics.Jagannath University, Dhaka.


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Objectives:

he objectives of our task are to reveal out- the overall condition of agro ecological

degradation after the immense implementation of Green Revolution. Since the Green

Revolution came with a huge expectation of crop cultivation, it made some greater long term

effects to the agricultural ecosystem. To meet the huge food crisis to the worlds highly rising

population, the Green Revolution was an essential invention. Bangladesh one of the highest

densely populated countries in the world also involves to the Green Revolution. How Bangladesh

can manage the negative effect of Green Revolution, (i: e: Agro ecological degradation) our paper

is for suggests this.

Executive Summary:

his report prepared as a requirement of the course of environmental Economics,

Department of Economics, Jagannath University, Dhaka. This report focuses on the

agro ecological degradation after Green Revolution. It contains several parts, the introduction part,

focuses on the overall idea of the subject matter. In recent times, the world is so much concern onthe environmental degradation. But along with this food security is another headache for the

world leaders. To keep the environment suitable for living beings is an important concern. And

how the Green Revolution causes damages to the agro ecosystems, how the countries can manage

it, these are discussed in the paper. The paper has a part for Bangladesh, where we have shown

the condition prevails in Bangladesh. It also contains case studies of several countries like India

and china. And finally we have added a suggestive conclusion.

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Contents

1. Introduction-------------------------------------------------------------------2

2. Conceptual Idea--------------------------------------3

Agro Ecosystem

Green Revolution

Agro Ecological Degradation

3. Causes of Agroeco Degradation-------------------------------------------------4

4. Agroeco degradation after Green Revolution----------------------------------45. Impact of Chemical Fertilizer-------------------------------------------5

Level of Using C.F

Effects of Using

Management

6. Impact of Pesticide-----------------------------------------------------9

Level of Using Pesticides.

Effects of Using

Management

7. Impact of Irrigation-----------------------------------------

Effects of Irrigation

Management

8. Green Revolution II as an Initial Solution

9. Bangladesh Context-------------------------------------------------------------------

Consequences of Green Revolution

Degradation of Soil Effect on Production

10. Concluding Remarks.-------------------------------------------------------18

11. References-------------------------------------------------------------------19


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Introduction

xtreme poverty, food insecurity, hunger and malnutrition still bedevil the underdeveloped

and developing nations. Nearly a third of the world populations are malnourished and

almost half live on less than a dollar a day. It is the worlds present situation. Food security

has always been one of the development goals sought universally by men. The Green Revolution

of the 1970s was major breakthrough in achieving food security. High yielding varieties(HYV)

brought about a revolutionary change in food production. Developing worlds with growing

population were quick to adopt the high yield varieties rice and wheat to boost their agricultural

production. The advantage of this variety was their shorter growing period, which made it

possible for up to three crops per year in the same field as well as their high yield of grains.

However, these varieties needed larger amounts of fertilizers and were more prone to disease and

pests than the local varieties. As such, widespread use of fertilizers and pesticides became the

order of the day. These varieties also needed more water, making irrigation an integral part of agricultural practice. The net consequence of the intensive agricultural practice is pollution by

pesticide and chemical fertilizers, soil erosion and salinization. Besides these types of

environmental stress, the production of HYV may also lead to loss of biodiversity through total

elimination of local varieties of crops, which are more suitable to local conditions. With the great

benefit the gGreen revolution also leads to an agro ecological damage because of the high rate of

using fertilizers, pesticides, making irrigation etc.

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Conceptual Idea

Agro Ecosystem:

n ecosystem is a natural system that is formed by dynamic interactions between biotic and

non-biotic elements in a defined area. Biotic elements include plants, insects (pests, natural

enemies, decomposers), microbes and other living organisms, and non-biotic elements comprise

weather components such as temperature, relative

humidity, wind, sunshine, rain and soil. Each

element has its special characteristics and role in

the system that, as a function of time and place,

will influence the distribution and population of

living organisms. The term ecosystem also

involves nutrient and energy flows within the

system. An agro ecosystem is characterized by a

much simpler composition with regard to the

number of species residing in the system and the

relative simplicity of energy flows than a natural,

stable ecosystem. Therefore, the agro ecosystem

needs energy input to maintain its balance. The wet paddy ecosystem, although an artificial

system, has a rather complex composition of biotic and non-biotic elements, providing it with

relative stability. Injudicious use of pesticides, however, disturbs this balance due to the killing of

natural enemies and other organisms in the rice field. Sweetpotato ICM technical manual

The IPM and ICM concepts find their basis in the stability of the agroecosystem and in economicefficiency. By maintaining the stability of the agroecosystem, pest populations can be kept at

manageable levels. To achieve this, the following important points need to be remembered: A.

Each ecosystem is dynamic with respect to numbers, position, role and intensity of each element

within that transform and develop continuously. They form a living, ever-changing system. B.

Each ecosystem contains a hierarchical structure. For example: plants are producers of vegetable

food which will be used to feed herbivores. The herbivores (including pests) eat the plants using

various modes of attack. The herbivores, in turn, serve as food for the carnivores (including the

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natural enemies), which again may be eaten by other carnivores. Finally, all organisms serve as

food for the decomposers. In the agroecosystem, if no natural enemies exist, the pests will

multiply unlimitedly and destroy the crop. But if the crop is finished, the pests will die of

starvation. Many natural enemies are not choosy about their food and will eat other organisms,

such as decomposers or plankton eaters, when there are no pests. Hence, they form an importantprotection mechanism in the field. C. All elements of the agroecosystem are strongly linked and

disturbance of one element disturbs the whole balance. Therefore, the task of farmers is to

maintain the natural balance among elements in the agroecosystem, ensuring a good environment

for the crop to grow well.

Agro Ecological Degradation:

ecent increases in the human population have placed a great strain on the world's soil

systems. More than 6 billion people are now using about 38% of the land area of the Earth

to raise crops and livestock. Many soils suffer from various types of degradation that can

ultimately reduce their ability to produce food resources. Slight degradation refers to land where

yield potential has been reduced by 10%, moderate degradation refers to a yield decrease from

10-50 %. Severely degraded soils have lost more than 50% of their potential. Most severely

degraded soils are located in developing countries such as Asia and Africa.

Figure 1: Services of Agro-ecosystems

Feed for privateanimals

Herbs for honey beesand medical products

Specific farm products

and services

Favorite life style

Traditions

Soil quantity andquality

Landscape

Carbon sequestration

Ecosystem ZSP

Agro-ecosystems

Wild fruits, herbs,mushrooms, birds,animals, and fish

Clean mountain andmineral water

Purification of waterand air

Biodiversity

Natural wonders

Recreation andtreatment

Education anddiscovery

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Green Revolution :

reen Revolution refers to the transformation of agriculture that began in 1945.

One significant factor in this revolution was the Mexican government's request toestablish an agricultural research station to develop more varieties of wheat that could be

used to feed the rapidly growing population of the country. In 1943, Mexico imported

half its wheat, but by 1956, the Green Revolution had made Mexico self-sufficient; by

1964, Mexico exported half a million tons of wheat. The associated transformation has

continued as the result of programs of agricultural research, extension, and infrastructural

development. These programs were instigated and largely funded by the Rockefeller

Foundation , along with the Ford Foundation and among other major agencies. The

Green Revolution allowed food production to keep pace with worldwide population

growth. The Green Revolution has had major social and ecological impacts, making it a

popular topic of study among sociologists. The term "Green Revolution" was first used in

1968 by former USAID director William Gaud, who noted the spread of the new

technologies and said,

"These and other developments in the field of agriculture contain the makings of a new

revolution. It is not a violent Red Revolution like that of the Soviets, nor is it a White

Revolution like that of the Shah of Iran. I call it the Green Revolution."

Causes of Agro Ecological Degradation

egradation of the land resource means a degraded ecosystem on which depends the

livelihood of the worlds teeming millions. Agro ecology especially land is being

degraded in different ways other than pollution. Unstable agricultural practices urban

land development, construction of roads, earth excavation, quarrying, mining, and

construction of embankments and polders all lead to the degradation of land. But the

main cause, which affects the land as well as agro ecology, is the Green Revolution. The

degradation of agro ecosystems after the huge implementation of Green Revolution are

main topic of this paper.

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Chemical

Fertilizer

HYV. F. Seeds

Chemical

Pesticide

Pollution of

Soil Water Air

Food

Health Hazard

Soil Degradation

Monoculture

Genetic Base

Predator

Elimination

Pest

Resistant

Unhealthy

Plants

Pest out

break

Food Quality

Degradation

Degradation of Agroecosytems after Green Revolution

fter the immense implementation of Green Revolution overall production level of

the crops have risen a lot. But as a consequence the Green Revolution, productivity

declines in long term. Over use of chemical fertilizer, pesticides hybrid seeds etc cause a

degradation to the soil as well as overall. How the Green Revolution affect the

agroecology is widely discussed below ; The following chart shows the process of Green

Revolution and the way of agro-eco degradation

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Over Use of Chemical Fertilizer:

fter the Green Revolution, the level of using chemical fertilizer increases

tremendously. At the initial level of Green Revolution over use of fertilizer leads toa large number of crop yield, but it declines the fertility of soil as well as destroy the

suitable agro ecology. There is a standard for using chemical fertilizer, but it is useless,

because the farmers do not notice about the harmful effect of over use of fertilizer.The

majority of farmers make their decisions on fertilizer use without consulting the local

extension agent. Some policy-makers have seriously considered making it compulsory

for farmers to apply the recommended rates. Although most wheat farmers in the Syrian

Arab Republic have used fertilizer for 15 to 20 years, many of them have little

information on the recommended rates or the official fertilizer allocations for each crop.

They take whatever is allocated to them and rely on their own experience and that of

others to decide on their fertilizer strategy. When farmers make decisions about fertilizer

use, they consider the allocation of fertilizer between crops, the number of applications

per crop, the rates, timing, and method of application. All of these decisions are made in a

highly uncertain environment characterized by wide year-to-year variations in rainfall

levels and in seasonal distribution.

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HYV=High Yielding Varieties. Local= Local Varieties.

Effects of over using Chemical Fertilizer; A Case Study:

aripur in Pakistan: Excessive use of the DAP fertilizer in an effort to reap extra yield

has seriously damaged the under soil of the farmland and affected its fertility, reducing

per acre yield , according to Baqir Farooqi, agronomist and former research officer of

Pakistan Agriculture Research Council (PARC). He was speaking at the inauguration of a

private fertilizer factory in Hattar. About the excessive use of DAP fertilizer, Mr Farooqi

said that the country had suffered a loss of billions of rupees in foreign exchange

annually on the import of DAP while its excessive use had delivered no good to Pakistani

farms but given birth to a virus which caused a damage to the under-soil and stiffened it

to the extent that crops and fruit plants could not receive nutrients. He said, per acre yield

of Pakistani crops and fruit had fallen considerably. He referred, especially, to the

Recommended rates of fertilizer use by crop (kg/ha)

Crop Condition Zone Nitrogen Phosphate

Irrigated wheat 150 100

Rain fed wheat HYV 1 100 80

HYV 2 80 60

Local 1 80 60Local 2 60 60

Local 3 30 30

Rain fed barley 1 50 40

2 40 40

3 20 20

Cotton Irrigated 200 150

Maize Irrigated 120 80

Sugar beet Autumn 200 120

Summer 180 120

Potatoes Autumn 150 120

Summer 120 120

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reduced area of banana crop in Sindh province which according to him had fallen to only

20,000 acres against 250,000 acres during the previous years. He said that the use of DAP

for banana crop had given birth to a virus in Sindh which had destroyed the fertility of

farm land. Chaudhry Ehsan, another agro researcher, and Naeemur Rehman of agriculture

department of Haripur in their speeches said that the use of DAP fertilizer had increased

acidity (PH value) of soil to the level of eight against permissible limit of PH 7 because

of which they added the weeding and watering of farm land had become difficult andaffected the farm land. They recommended the use of local fertilizers particularly having

rock of Kakul area which according to them had 2 to 3 PH (acidity) level and was better

or redemption of damaged fertility and yield. So in total, chemical fertilizer is worse than

natural fertilizer.

Management:

ver use of chemical fertilizer must be discouraged and the use of manure and humus

should be encouraged. Planting crop fields with leguminous species such as

dhonche during seasons when the land is left fallow and ten using them as green

manure will definitely increase the productivity of land reduce dependence on chemical

fertilizers.

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Use of Pesticides:

Pesticides have been in use in some form or the other since ancient time. The Chineseused arsenic in 900 AD to control garden insects. Lime, soap, turpentine, tobacco,mineral oil etc, were in use as pesticides up to the end of 18 th century. Paris Green wasdeveloped first as a commercial pesticide in 1868 for the control of Colorado beetleattacking potato.

Pesticides include insecticides, fungicides, herbicides, acaroids, rodenticides or anychemical that has biocide action. In order to make more food available for humanconsumption, pesticide use to minimize food losses has been on increase. Estimatedglobal use of pesticides from 1980 to 2000 is presented in the following table.

Regions 1980 1990 2000

North America 2.03 2.41 2.56

Latin America-Medium Income 0.20 0.54 0.95

Latin America-Low Income 0.22 0.47 1.20

Soviet Union 0.38 0.70 0.84

Western Europe 0.44 0.51 0.53

Asia- Low Income 0.39 1.95 3.77

Japan 0.28 0.72 1.25

Middle East 0.17 0.59 1.00

Africa 0.04 0.08 0.42

Oceania 0.02 0.03 0.04Bangladesh 0.08 0.13 0.19

Source: Leontief, et al. 1977. Statistical Pocket Book of Bangladesh2003, DOE-1990, 2000.


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Effect of Using Pesticides:

The success of pesticides in controlling pests in a short term basis cannot be denied, buttheir long term efficacy against pests, their overall effects on ecosystems(includinghuman health) especially agro ecosystems are very much doubtful for two major reasons:rapid evolution of new breed of pests, resistant to the pesticide applied and increasingpesticides hazards.

Pesticides kill non-target organisms including parasites and predators of pests that areinnocuous prior to the application of pesticides, resulting in outbreaks of those pests.Insect pollinators, birds fish, and other animals have also been killed by pesticides.

Repeated application of insecticides over a long period to protect vast areas of rice fieldshave been reported to have serious adverse effect on the microbial population, essentiallyneeded for maintaining soil health. According to WHO, about 500,000 people aresubjected to insecticide poisoning annually in the developing countries in the abovementioned figure is however widely quoted but the victims may be in millions, and not inthousands.

The history of world agriculture during 1951-1966 recorded a 34% increase in productionand it was made possible by the following increase: 63% in farm machinery, 146% innitrogenous fertilizers and 300% in pesticides (Meadows et al, 1972). This study showsthat rate of using pesticides is much more than food production .

As for example , with the govt. emphasize as well as financial and technological supportfrom the cotton development board and Bangladesh Tobacco company, production of these crops rapidly increase in areas like old Kushtia and some of Jessore Districts duringthe first half of 1970. After a few years the Tobacco cultivation sharply declined due toshortage of fuel. Then they started to cultivate cotton which needed a lot of pesitcides touse. And for that reason most of the farmers complained about the rapid decrease of cotton yield in greater Kushtia. According to them increase incidence of insect pests are

the causes for that kinds of declining.


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A worker wearing protective clothing is spraying crops with pesticides

Resistance Management:

esistance management is a key concept in efficient pesticide use. Pesticides should be

used in such a way that the development of pest resistance is prevented, or at least

delayed as long as possible. Farmers should avoid frequent, repeated applications of the

same pesticide. Instead, they should alternate different products. In this way, pest

populations do not have time to build up resistance to any one product.There is something of a conflict between commercial interests and the need to avoid pest

resistance. By promoting their products, chemical companies are striving to dominate the

market. If they succeed, all local farmers will be using the same product. This is exactly

the way to promote the development of pest resistance!Banned and Restricted Pesticides a major concern is the use of highly toxic anddangerous pesticides. Many of these are imported from Western countries who havebanned their own farmers from using them, because they are so dangerous. Participants atthe meeting emphasized the value of toxicity data, and hoped that the different countriesin the region would find some way of sharing this data.

Of course, chemical companies developing new pesticides carry out toxicity tests beforethey put them on the market. However, the results are a commercial secret - the

companies do not have to make them public. Naturally enough, there tends to be selective

disclosure. Companies make public only the data which gives a favorable picture.

National governments must carry out their own toxicity tests before a pesticide can be

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registered. This testing is a heavy burden on countries which have only only limited

funds and personnel for testing.

The most serious problem is that many farmers prefer them! According to the FFTC/APO

survey, a list of the twenty most popular chemical pesticides used by farmers in the

region includes a substantial number of the Dirty Dozen. These pesticides are cheap andeffective, and farmers don't understand how dangerous they are.

It is important to educate farmers about the risks, as well as the benefits, of pesticides.

Also, if pesticides are to be banned, farmers must be given safer alternatives which are as

effective, and which cost about the same price.

Irrigation:

ll over the world irrigation is practiced in one form or another to increaseagricultural productivity from the view of Green Revolution. Irrigation affects

Weather/Environment irrigated lands contributed to most of the worlds food supply andoutput. It was estimated that around half of the increased agricultural production was inthe 35 years before 1986. One third of the crops grown around the world were onirrigated land. The irrigated land was twice as productive as rain-fed land. The UnitedNations predicted that in the year 2025 the food production will have to increase about40 to 45 percent to support the worlds population. When this happens they will have toincrease off develop new irrigation systems. There are a wide variety of ways to irrigated

but some of them are harmful to the weather and the environment. There are irrigationsystem that we use today that are from the early 1990s and then the new, updated ones.97 percent of the worlds water lies within the ocean and the sea. Two percent of all thewater is in the glaciers. We can only use one percent of the worlds water. Even though itrains a lot 60 percent of the rain gets evaporated back into the atmosphere. Also, there isan uneven distribution of water around the world. Most of the water scarcity is in largeparts of Africa and the Middle East. With the population growing the food production hasto increase. Before the food production can increase the water that we can use needs toincrease. Claudio O. Stockle is a professor at the Washington state university that

believes The world population is expanding rapidly, with corresponding increased pressures on the food supply and the environment Competition for water is becomingcritical, and environmental degradation related to water usage is serious. The numberof people living in water-stressed countries is projected to climb from 500 million tothree billion by 2025. This means that for the world to grow any more town folks andfarmers need to come up with.

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Effects of Irrigation :

There are three obvious salinity risks associated with irrigation:

The irrigation water may contain high levels of salt that may either directly affect

plant growth or add salt to the soil so that plant growth is eventually affected bythe increasing level of soil salinity.Applying more irrigation water than is actually required by plants may raise thewater table under the area. If the water table is saline, and shallow enough to be inthe root zone, plant growth could be affected. Deeper saline water tables may alsobe a problem; if within 2 meters of the surface dissolved salt can be moved intothe root zone by capillary movement in profiles with a high clay content.

Irrigated cropping changes the water balance in a number of ways compared toperennial pasture. A key factor is cultivation, and fallowing before sowing.During this period, evaporate-transpiration is reduced and more water will

infiltrate to the groundwater, with the potential to raise the level of a saline watertable. In summary, the main irrigation hazards are applying salts to the plants andthe soil if the water is saline, and raising the height of a saline water table.

Crop tolerance to irrigation water salinity

Crop/pasture Irrigation water salinity,ECw (dS/m)

Croptolerance rating

Up to 10%yield loss

25% yield loss

Barley 5.3 8.7 Very HighPea 1.7 2.4 Medium

Potato 1.1 2.5 LowOnion 0.8 1.8 LowBean 0.7 12.5 Low

Tall WheatGrass

5.0 9.0 High

PerennialRye Grass

3.7 5.9 High

Lucerne 1.3 3.6 MediumStrawberry

Clover

1.1 2.6 Low

White Clover 1.0 2.4 Low

he table shows examples of crop tolerance to water salinity, with ECw levels at

which crop yields are reduced by 10 and 25%. If salt added through saline irrigation

water is not leached by rainfall or irrigation water in excess of crop water requirements,

there is a risk of salt accumulating in the soil profile and eventually affecting plant

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growth. For example, water of 1 dS/m salinity contains about 640 parts per million of

salt. That is equivalent to 640 kilograms of salt per million litres megalitres) of water

applied to the land (a mealtime is equivalent to 100 mm of water over 1 hectare). The

first mistake that most of these governments in Latin America and many developing

countries make is imitation. They try to copy technological models and try to put them in

use regardless of the environment and social cost. For example: many irrigation systems

are out of order, while others consume too much water, not delivering with the actual

amount of water that the plants need. This causes soil erosion in the Andean plain.

Stalinization effect on cultivable land causes agro ecological degradation.

, Management:

rrigation schemes should be manage properly to avoid continuous water loggings.Over extraction of ground water should be prevented. Methods should be adopted that

will lead to more economic use of irrigation water. Loss of water through evaporationshould be minimized when it is channeled.

Reclamation of saline soil is more difficult than prevention. Usually excess salts

accumulated on the surface are washed away by rain. Good drainage should be providedso that water recedes after the flood. Where soil has become too saline and salts cannot

be flashed out naturally, other steps should be taken to reclaim to land Salt tolerant

species of vegetation may be planted as a first step towards the process. Planting of crop

varieties that need less water and are less dependent on irrigation should be encouraged

and popularized. Find out whether there is a saline water table under the area that is being

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irrigated. This is particularly important in the areas of the State where salinity risks are

higher (for example, lower rainfall, flat areas and drainage lines near areas with surface

expressions of salinity). In these areas drill test holes to 5 metres and check for saline

groundwater; install piezometers and monitor the groundwater depth and salinity.

Sometimes a freshly drilled hole will not reveal groundwater immediately after drilling,

so allow a week for groundwater to seep into the bore. If irrigating with Medium or High

salinity water, monitor soil salinity levels by measuring at the soil surface and in the

subsoil. If the irrigation water is saline, make sure that surface drainage is good.

Preferably, do not apply Medium or High salinity water to poorly drained soils because

there will be less leaching than where the soil profile is well-drained. Irrigating at night

will reduce the direct effects of salt on the leaves of plants. Keep soil moisture levels high

by irrigating with smaller amounts less often. This reduces the opportunity for salt in thesoil water to concentrate between irrigations. Growing crops on mounds or raised beds

will provide a volume of soil that is better drained, and irrigation will provide some

leaching of salts from the root zone. Use an irrigation scheduling system to ensure that

irrigation water applications do not exceed the water holding capacity of the soil.

Consider mixing High salinity water with better quality water if another source is

available shandying water is a good strategy.

Green Revolution II as an Initial Solution

he Green revolution of the 1970s was a major breakthrough in achieving foodsecurity. Hybrid varieties of high yield grains brought about a revolutionary change

in food production. These varieties of high yield grains need needed large amounts of fertilizers, pesticides, irrigation. The net consequence of theintensive agricultural practice is pollution by pesticides andchemical fertilizers, soil erosion, and salinization. To solvethese environmental risks in the late 1980s agriculture was at

the threshold of another revolution; The Green Revolution IIbrought about by the development of biotechnology. Scientistsstarted to hope that a new milestone could be added toagricultural production through the application of geneticengineering to evolve new varieties of crops, which may bepest resistant or tolerant to salinity or flooding. This would be

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Genetically Modified Wheat


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possible through gene transfer between different species having the desirablecharacteristics. Genetic modification allows selected individual genes to be transferredfrom one organism into another, including genes from unrelated species. The technologycan be used to promote a desirable crop character or to suppress an undesirable trait.

Possible benefits of GM Food:

enetic modification can provide improved resistance to disease and pests. It may

enable the production of more nutritious staple crops which provide essential

micronutrients, often lacking in the diets of poor people. GM crops that are better suited

to cope with stresses such as drought or salty soils, common to many developing

countries, are also being developed.Furthermore, proponents note that GM crops might prove to be an important tool in

accelerating the increase of crop yields, especially of staple crops. This might be

particularly relevant for small-scale, resource-poor farmers in developing countries.

Seventy per cent of the worlds poor live in rural areas and about two-thirds of these rely

primarily on agriculture for their livelihoods.9 Increased yields through improved seeds

normally lead to higher demands for labour in agriculture. This usually implies growth in

employment income among the malnourished, and would have a positive effect on their

ability to afford sufficient food. Such developments would be valuable. It has become

clearer that both the reduction of poverty and growth in crop yields have slowed in most

of the developing world since the 1980s. Moreover, poverty has persisted and crop yields

have remained low in most of Africa, the poorest continent of the world.10 In this Paper,

we examine which kinds of GM crops have been grown in particular developing

countries, and assess whether there have been, or are likely to be, significant

improvements for farmers who grow them. However, any deliberation about the benefits

of a technology also needs to address likely risks.

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Bangladesh Context:

angladesh is a very small country of 1, 47,570 square kilometer area having a

population of 130 millions. The country has only 8.29 million hectare (BangladeshKrishi Diary 2003) cultivable land against the huge population. The land area is gradually

decreasing because of population growth, industrialization and other infrastructure

development. This results a declining trend of per capita land availability from 0.13

hectare to 0.06 hectare during last few decades (1960 to 2000) . However, agriculture

plays a pivotal role in overall economic development of the country, not only in terms of

it contribution to GDP (about 20% of the GDP). More than 70% of the population

depends on agriculture. In order to feed the huge population green revolution has

emerged in 1960s and priority was given to produce more food in terms of grain through

intensification of land usage. It has created a tremendous pressure on limited land

resources. New crop variety (HYV) was introduced as well as chemical fertilizers and

pesticides, irrigation in the name of modernization. As a result immediate objectives of

more grain production have achieved and grain (rice) production has increased by

manifold. For a shorter period Bangladesh has achieved so called self sufficiency in food

(rice). A suicidal policy of just extraction of soil was followed. A lot of HYVs, Hybrids

has introduced that require increased amount of chemicals. Soil fertility conservationissue is totally ignored. As a result, soil is rapidly losing its fertility. Acreage production

is getting downward despite of using high doses of chemical fertilizer and pesticides.

Production stages after green revolution:

armers reports national statistics and the results of long-term cropping trials at BRRI

all indicate that yields are stagnating and productivity is declining .Both productionand mean yields of rice has risen and thus leading food-grain self-sufficiency production

increases have resulted from a substantial intensification of agricultural rather then from

in cultivated area. Intensification has taken several forms. Adoption of modern rice

varieties has increased substantially .

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The irrigated area has expanded rapidly specially after the liberalization of minor

irrigation cropping intensity has grown substantially with an increasing proportion of

land being double or triple cropped use of chemical fertilizers has doubled. Yields can be

decomposed into two components in allocate efficiency (Yo-Yo).this gap is between

production achieved yields given the current technology.

Introduction of modern varieties increases the yield potential dramatically as illustrated

by curve mpv , but requires higher input levels. Under this technology, optimal fertilizer

use in FP which produces output Yp.

Green revolution yield increased have generally occurred in a series of stages, as

illustrated in figure 4 adoption of modern varieties led to a significant immediate yieldincreases. Following this transition, further yield increases have tended to come first from

increasing allocative efficiency and then from increasing technical efficiency [Byerlee,

1992] these are shown as movements along a production function and as upward shift of

the achievable production function, respectively.


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As illustrated in the figure the stages of improving allocate and technical efficiency

overlap with improvements in allocative efficiency dominating initially and

improvements in technical efficiency becoming important later.

Declining evidence:

he implications of yield stagnation or decline for productivity are severe, since this

trend has occurred despite rapid growth in the use of chemical fertilizer. Figure 7

shows that use of chemical fertilizers on modern verities crops has increased markedly in

the last decade. As in other green revolution countries, input use was initially very low.

Cash constrained, risk averse Bangladeshi farmers had difficulty in financing the

required high input levels. Moreover, in the early stages of the green revolution in

Bangladesh the fertilizer distribution system was controlled by a state monopoly, the

Bangladesh Agriculture Development Corporation (BADC), whose performance

proved woefully inadequate. Although there is evidence that some allocate inefficiency

persist, input use has gradually increased overtime. Despite these increases in fertilizeruse, Boro yields have stagnant or decline in two-thirds of the area planted to them, and

Amon yields have stagnant throughout Bangladesh .

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Consequences of green revolution:

fter the green revolution, when the technology and the notion of chemical

agriculture were introduced, it seems that the gross production of main grain, rice,

has increased. It has, however created a large negative impact on rural farmers and the

environment. Chemical agriculture is only oriented to economic profit, ecological and

social factors are totally ignored. Chemical agriculture is totally anti-natural and

destructive. Consequently this agricultural technology creates many problems.

Prominent among these are topsoil depletion and degradation, groundwater

contamination, the decline of family farms, continued neglect of the living and working

conditions for farm laborers, increasing costs of production, and the disintegration of

economic and social conditions in rural communities, health hazards due to food

degradation and environment (soil, air and water) pollution because of agriculturalpoisons.

Degradation of soil:

se of inorganic fertilizer and pesticides without use of any organic fertilizer results

lack of organic matter supply which caused a lot of problems to the soil. Soil

become hard, water holding capacity reduced, soil pH become imbalance that caused

some micro-nutrient deficiency, reduced soil microbial activities resulted less availability

of plant nutrients.

Degraded soil become unhealthy and unhealthy soil grows unhealthy plants. Without

considering the root cause use of chemical poisons to destroy the pest and consequently

the pest problem is not solved and become worsen.

The products grown with excessive chemical fertilizers and pesticides are low in quality.

These low food qualities become apparent in taste and preserving capacity of the

products. Chemically grown products have less nutrient content (protein, vitamins and

minarets) and higher water content. The high water content may be one of the main

reason for lack of taste and low preserving capacity of chemically grown product.

Use of chemical pesticides results pollution of the environment as they are chemical

poison. They are very much effective in killing living things and have long term residual

effect (some cases more than 10 years). The poison pollute the product first and then soil,

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air and water consequently. This pollution results in poisoned product, soil degradation,

and the disappearance of fish, birds and other animals.

People experienced health hazards in two ways. Firstly, people eat the poisoned

agricultural products and other contaminated food like, meat, milk, fish etc from

chemical agricultural production. The poison accumulates in the living body and through

the food chain, the poison is condensed and creates different health hazards. The ultimate

destination of any chemical poison, wherever it is used, is the human body. Secondly, the

chemical pesticide directly affects the farmers who use it. In Bangladesh, most farmers

handle pesticides without protection for their bodies and they are usually the most serious

victims. The chemicals also produce a health hazard to other living things, especially

livestocks and poultry birds. Now days, a common accident in the rural area is death of

poultry birds and livestocks which fed on crop residues and grasses.

Disappearance of Local Genetic Resources:

ocal varieties are the genetic base for improving seeds and are very important

resource for the future. However, local varieties are disappearing each year. The

main reason is the introduction of HYV seeds and hybrid seeds. That also accelerates

mono-culture and create ecological imbalance in agriculture.

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Severity

Mapped

Mapped

(km2)

Population

Population %

Population

density

Wasteland

(km2)

Infrequent

(km2)

Common

(km2)

Frequent

(km2)

Veryfrequ

ent(km2)

Dominant

(km2)

Degraded

(km2)

Degraded %

None 4.7 6,442 4,873,79 2 3.8 756.53 6,442 - - - - - 0 0.00

Moderate 67.2 92,527

102,035,488 80.4 1102.76 - - - 16,655 - - 16,655 12.09

Severe 26.9 37,000 19,707,448 15.5 532.63 - - - 3,566 6,017 - 9,583 6.96

NotClassifi

ed1.3 1,750 275,556 0.2 157.50 1,750 - - - - - 0 0.00

TOTALS 100.0

137,719

126,892,284 100.0 921.38 8,192 0 0 20,221 6,017 0 26,238 19.05


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Case Study: India

s the world's population surges, the international community faces a pressing

problem: How will it feed everybody? Until recently, people thought India had an

answer. Farmers in the state of Punjab abandoned traditional farming methods in the

1960s and 1970s as part of the national program called the "Green Revolution," backed

by advisers from the U.S. and other countries. Indian farmers started growing crops the

American way with chemicals, high-yield seeds and irrigation. Since then, India has

gone from importing grain like a beggar, too often exporting it. But studies show the

Green Revolution is heading for collapse.

Agro Ecological degradation:

n a recent morning, a drilling rig is pounding away in the middle of a wheat field

near the village of Chotia Khurd . The sound, part jackhammer and part pile

driver, is becoming increasingly common in the farm fields of northern India's

Punjab region. The farmer, Sandeep Singh , is supervising and looking unhappy as the rig

hammers away, driving deeper and deeper under his field in search of water.

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When India's government launched the Green Revolution more than 40 years ago, it

pressured farmers to grow only high-yield wheat, rice and cotton instead of their

traditional mix of crops. The new miracle seeds could produce far bigger yields than

farmers had ever seen, but they came with a catch: The thirsty crops needed much more

water than natural rainfall could provide, so farmers had to dig wells and irrigate with

groundwater. The system worked well for years, but government studies show that

farmers have pumped so much groundwater to irrigate their crops that the water table is

dropping dramatically, as much as 3 feet every year. So farmers like Sandeep keep hiring

the drilling company to come back to their fields, to bore the wells ever deeper on this

day, to more than 200 feet. As for this the groundwater crisis is evident at the edge of the

fields thin straggly rows of wheat and a whitish powder scattered across the soil. The

white substance is salt residue. Drilling deep wells to find fresh water often taps brackishunderground pools, and the salty water poisons the crops."The salt causes root injuries,"

The district agriculture director, Palwinder Singh, says. "The root cannot take the

nutrients from the soil."

.

Destroying the Soil :

In the village of Chotia Khurd , farmers agree that the Green Revolution used to work

miracles for many of them. But now, it's like financial quicksand. Studies show that their

intensive farming methods, which government policies subsidize, are destroying the soil.

The high-yield crops gobble up nutrients like nitrogen, phosphorous, iron and manganese,

making the soil anemic. The farmers say they must use three times as much fertilizer as

they used to, to produce the same amount of crop.

A System About to Collapse?

ome leading officials in the farming industry wonder when this house of cards might

collapse. "The state and farmers are now faced with a crisis," warns a report by the

Punjab State Farmers Commission. Indias population is growing faster than any country

on Earth, and domestic food production is vital. But the commission's director, G.S.

Kalkat, says Punjab's farmers are committing ecological and economic "suicide. "If he is

correct, suicide is coming through national policies that reward farmers for the very

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practices that destroy the environment and trap them in debt. Kalkat says only one thing

can save Punjab: India has to launch a brand new Green Revolution. But he says this one

has to be sustainable.

The problem is, nobody has yet perfected a farming system that produces high yields,

makes a good living for farm families, protects and enhances the environment and still

produces good, affordable food. But create hazards for long time soil fertility, which is

widely seen in India after the implementation of Green Revolution.


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Conclusion

Agriculture from the Green Revolution has been a failure because they are putting into

use techniques that don't work in these agro ecological conditions. The Green Revolution

was particularly a fight between western visions on development, agriculture and science

and the indigenous Indian vision. The western vision who promised so much won, but

most people and ecosystems have lost. Although even the Green Revolution was bounded

by ecological limits, and by attempting to break out of them, if further increased those

limits, generating new levels of scarcity, insecurity and vulnerability. Conflicts which

arose are much more a result of the political, economic and cultural processes inherent to

Green Revolution. Bangladesh is under tremendous pressure to produce food grain for a

image population utilizing very limited land resource of 8.3 millions hectare. It is it is

claimed by the government that if the natural factors remain favorable Bangladesh can

grow sufficient food grain (cereals) for its nation. Now the question is how long? It has

already proved that land and other natural resources cannot be exploited endlessly by this

time we have damaged our soil, genetic and other natural resources to a great extent. We

must find the alternate way out before going the situation at an unprecedented level. We

should not utilize the technology for only exploitation of natural resources. We must

choose the environment friendly technology that can meet the present need and alsoconserve the resources for future use. We have huge natural resources, thousands of

indigenous knowledge gathered by our ancestors whom they learn from nature. We

required necessary harmonization between indigenous knowledge and technologies.

Sustainable agriculture concept would be very much helpful to overcome the situation. Asustainable, pro-people agriculture policy should be developed by the government and a

strong long term social movement is required for that.


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References:

1. Environmental Degradation __Zinatunnesa R.M.M. Khuda.

2. Banglapedia.

3. Consequences of Increased Pesticide Use_Dr. Amirul Islam.

4. Department of Environment (DOE), Bangladesh.

5. World Bank Survey Report.(1997).

Inrenet:

1. www.wikipedia.com

2. www.fao.com

3. www.un-bd.org/undp

4. www.adb.org

5. www.worldbank.org/bd

agroeco degradation after green revolution

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