Read the passage given below and answer the question.
Often it is thought that imparting knowledge of 'scientific' farming methods will improve the conditions of Indian farmers. We should remember that Indian farmers have been cultivating the land for centuries, much before the advent of the Green Revolution. They have very deep and extensive traditional knowledge about the land they till and the crops they sow. Much of this knowledge, like the many traditional varieties of seeds that were developed over the centuries by farmers, is being lost as hybrid, high-yielding, and genetically modified varieties of seeds are being promoted as more productive and 'scientific' (Gupta 1998; Vasavi 1999b). In view of the negative environmental and social impact of modern methods of cultivation that have been observed, a number of scientists as well as farmers' movements now suggest a return to traditional, more organic seeds and methods of cultivation. Many rural people themselves believe that hybrid varieties are less healthy than the traditional ones.
The first phase of green revolution led to the displacement of tenant cultivators. Choose the option that provides justification for this statement:
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 4
The correct answer is Option (4) → Landowners began to take back land from tenants as cultivation became more profitable
Option (1) Introduction of new technology seemed to be increasing inequalities — Incorrect. This is true of the first phase, but it is the general result, not the reason for the displacement. It does not say why tenants in particular lost their land.
Option (2) Employment and wages for agricultural workers did increase in many areas — Incorrect. This is also true, because the demand for labour increased. But it is about agricultural workers, and a rise in employment does not explain why tenants were pushed off the land.
Option (3) Demand for tenants increased — Incorrect. The opposite happened. Once farming paid well, landowners no longer wanted tenants and cultivated the land themselves.
Option (4) Landowners began to take back land from tenants as cultivation became more profitable — Correct. Green Revolution crops were highly profitable because they yielded more. So landowners began to take back land from their tenants and cultivate it directly, and the tenant-cultivators were displaced.
NCERT (2025-26): “4.3 The Green Revolution and its Social Consequences … Thus, in the first phase of the Green Revolution, in the 1960s and 1970s, the introduction of new technology seemed to be increasing inequalities in rural society. Green Revolution crops were highly profitable, mainly because they yielded more produce. 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. However, in many cases it led to the displacement of tenant-cultivators. For landowners began to take back land from their tenants and cultivate it directly because cultivation was becoming more profitable.…” “The ultimate outcome of the Green Revolution was a process of ‘differentiation’, in which the rich grew richer and many of the poor stagnated or grew poorer. It should be noted that employment and wages for agricultural workers did increase in many areas, because the demand for labour increased.…” |