Which of the following is NOT a beneficial aspect of Green Revolution?

Answer & explanation

Correct answer: option 4

The correct answer is Option (4) → Shift from multi-cropping to mono-cropping

Option (1) Increase in the income of farmers — A benefit (Incorrect). Green Revolution crops yielded more, and farmers who could invest in the new seeds and fertilisers could increase their production and earn more money.

Option (2) Increase in agricultural wages — A benefit (Incorrect). Employment and wages for agricultural workers did increase in many areas, because the demand for labour increased.

Option (3) Increase in agricultural surplus — A benefit (Incorrect). Agricultural productivity increased sharply, and India became self-sufficient in foodgrain production for the first time in decades; farmers had more to sell in the market.

Option (4) Shift from multi-cropping to mono-cropping — Not a benefit (Correct). A multi-crop system allowed farmers to spread risks: if one crop failed, another could carry them. In a mono-crop regime there is nothing to fall back on in case of crop failure, and a fall in prices or a bad crop can spell financial ruin. This raised the farmers’ insecurity, so it is a harmful outcome.

NCERT (2025-26): “4.3 The Green Revolution and its Social Consequences … Agricultural productivity increased sharply because of the new technology. India was able to become self-sufficient in foodgrain production for the first time in decades.…”

“4.3 The Green Revolution and its Social Consequences … Well-to-do farmers who had access to land, capital, technology, and know-how, and those who could invest in the new seeds and fertilisers, could increase their production and earn more money.…”

“4.3 The Green Revolution and its Social Consequences … It should be noted that employment and wages for agricultural workers did increase in many areas, because the demand for labour increased.…”

“4.3 The Green Revolution and its Social Consequences … In market-oriented cultivation, especially where a single crop is grown, a fall in prices or a bad crop can spell financial ruin for farmers. In most of the Green Revolution areas, farmers have switched from a multi-crop system, which allowed them to spread risks, to a mono-crop regime, which means that there is nothing to fall back on in case of crop failure.…”