What were an unintended negative consequence of the Green Revolution?

Answer 1

Positives :

1 - Increase in Production / yield.

2 - Advantage to farmers: this includes their economic situation improving, even small and marginal farmers (although they were late in joining) getting better yield, control on many insects and pests, mechanizing improved working conditions.

3- Better land use by employing two and three crop pattern.

4 - better scientific methods applied as per requirement of farms.

5- New seeds have been developed with better yield and disease fighting capability.

Negative :

1- Degradation of land: Due to change in land use pattern and employing two and three crop rotation every year land quality has gone down and yield has sufferred.

2- Degradation of land part 2: Due to heavy chemical fertilizer inputs land has become hard and carbon material has gone down.

3- Weeds have increased: Due to heavy crop rotation pattern we do not give rest to land nor we have time to employ proper weed removal system which has increased weeds.

4- Pest infestation has gone up: Pests which we used to control by bio degradable methods have become resistant to many pesticides and now these chemical pesticides have become non effective.

5- Loss of bio diversity: Due to heavy use of chemical pesticides, insecticides and fertilizers we have lost many birds and friendly insects and this is a big loss in long term.

6- Chemicals in water: These chemicals which we have been using in our farms go down and contiminate ground water which effect our and our children health.

7: Water table has gone down: Water table has gone down due to lack of water harvesting systems and now we have to pull water from 300 to 400 ft. depth which was 40 to 50 feet earlier.

8: Loss of old seeds: We have started using new seeds and lost old once since new once give better yield but due to this we have lost many important geens in these seeds.

Answer 2

One of the ill effects of the green revolution is the major cost increases of food. Almost all food items are more expensive because of environmental regulation.

Answer 3

The use of chemicals damaged the land and polluted rivers.