Indian Agriculture's Three Phases: From Green Revolution to Diets, Incomes and Climate
A new research paper titled "Beyond the Green Revolution: Unravelling new dynamics of India's agrifood system transformation" divides India's farming journey since the Green Revolution into three phases. (An agrifood system means the whole chain of growing, processing, selling and eating food.)
The paper is written by Dr Mangi Lal Jat (Director General, Indian Council of Agricultural Research, ICAR), Pratap Singh Birthal (Research and Information System for Developing Countries, RIS) and S.J. Balaji (Institute of Economic Growth, IEG). It is part of a book edited by Ramesh Chand (NITI Aayog), Pramod Joshi (formerly of IFPRI) and Shyam Khadka (formerly FAO's India representative).
Phase 1 (about 1967-1995): technology-led cereal intensification. The main aim was food security. High-yielding rice and wheat seeds, irrigation, fertilisers, rural roads, research and extension (teaching farmers new methods) changed Indian farming. Foodgrain output rose from about 74 million tonnes in 1966-67 to 152 million tonnes in 1983-84.
The paper notes the costs of this phase: a heavy focus on rice and wheat and heavy use of groundwater and fertilisers led to falling water tables, weaker soils, loss of biodiversity and pollution in some regions.
Phase 2 (1996-2014): demand-led diversification. Rising incomes, cities, economic reforms and changing tastes raised demand for fruits, vegetables, milk, meat, eggs and fish.
Phase 3 (2015 onwards): sustainability-led diversification. Farm growth is now more broad-based and technology-driven, and is shaped by diets, incomes and climate change.
Green Revolution in India
The Green Revolution was a big jump in India's food production that began in the mid-1960s. It came from using new high-yielding seeds of wheat and rice, along with irrigation, chemical fertilisers and pesticides. In a few years, India moved from begging for food aid to growing enough grain to feed itself. It is the reason India today has large stocks of rice and wheat in government godowns.
The new paper calls 1967-1995 the first phase of Indian agriculture, driven by technology-led cereal intensification. That phase is the Green Revolution. The paper also points out its costs, such as groundwater depletion and soil decline, which today's policy is now trying to fix.
Agricultural Diversification in India
Agricultural diversification means a farm or a country growing and earning from a wider mix of products instead of depending on one or two crops. It can mean growing pulses, fruits or vegetables along with rice and wheat. It can also mean moving into dairy, poultry, fisheries or food processing. In simple words, it is the farming version of "do not put all your eggs in one basket".
The paper says India's farming has moved from a cereal-first model to one shaped by what people now eat and earn. Its second and third phases are both about diversification: first pulled by consumer demand, and now pushed by the need for sustainability.
Climate-Resilient Agriculture in India
Climate-resilient agriculture means farming in a way that can survive and recover from the shocks of a changing climate, like heat waves, droughts, floods and irregular rain. It uses better seeds, smarter water use, healthier soils and new farming methods so that yields and incomes do not collapse when the weather turns bad. It also tries to reduce the greenhouse gases that farming itself releases.
The paper says that since 2015, Indian farming has entered a phase of sustainability-led diversification, with climate change as one of the key forces. Climate-resilient farming is the toolkit for this phase: it tries to keep production and incomes steady while saving water and soil.
- Paper: "Beyond the Green Revolution: Unravelling new dynamics of India's agrifood system transformation" by M.L. Jat (DG, ICAR), P.S. Birthal (RIS) and S.J. Balaji (IEG)
- Phase 1 (1967-1995): technology-led cereal intensification; Phase 2 (1996-2014): demand-led diversification; Phase 3 (2015 onwards): sustainability-led diversification
- Foodgrain output: about 74 MT (1966-67) → 152 MT (1983-84) → 357.73 MT (2024-25, record)
- Rice 150.18 MT and wheat 117.94 MT in 2024-25 (both records)
- Milk: 247.87 MT in 2024-25 (India 1st in world)
- Fish: 197.75 lakh tonnes in 2024-25 (India 2nd in world, about 8% share)
- Livestock CAGR about 7.38% (2014-15 to 2023-24); fisheries CAGR about 8.9% (2014-15 to 2022-23)
- ICAR: 310 of 651 districts vulnerable to climate change; 109 very highly vulnerable