Green Revolution vs. Organic Farming

Emily Mosquera
Dr. Pamela Haley
AP Human Geography
5 April 2013 The Green Revolution refers to the application of modern, western-type farming techniques to less economically developed countries. Organic farming is a type of agriculture that uses natural forms of growing crops. In this essay I will address the comparative similarities and differences between The Green Revolution and organic farming.
The Green Revolution occurred between the 1940’s and 1970’s. It consisted of using genetically modified seeds, pesticides, hormone insertion into animals, and the requirement of an irrigation system. The idea for The Green Revolution was noble: to eliminate mass famine in developing countries. It allowed for a huge increase in crops, thus, improving the average farmers’ salary. The Green revolution was the cause for Asian countries’ GDP income to almost double in just two decades and allowed poverty to shrink a substantial amount despite the population growth happening. The Green Revolution also permitted for better nutrition and for more food consumption because the price of food went down due to the plethora of it thus, people became more and more unhealthy. People lost their traditional food and had a varied diet. But of course with a revolution of this degree has to have been some type of negative impact. Researchers have charged The Green Revolution with environmental degradation. Critics of the Green Revolution argued that owners of large farms were the main adopters of the new technologies because of their better access to irrigation water, fertilizers, seeds and credit. Small farmers were either unaffected or harmed because the Green Revolution resulted in lower product prices, higher input prices, and efforts by landlords to increase rents or force tenants off the land. They also argue that The Green Revolution heartened the needless overuse of mechanization, in doing so, forcing down rural wages and employment.
Organic farming is the contrary of the processes that the Green Revolution used. The process of organic farming in which no synthetic chemicals are added and crops are not genetically modified. This system has small yields of the crop but permits for a variety of foods grown. Organic farming sponsors healthy life styles and a chance for better ecosystems, while The Green Revolution farming techniques promotes greed and mass production. Organic farming methods combine scientific knowledge and modern technology with traditional farming practices based on thousands of years of agriculture. Organic farming relies deeply on the natural break down of organic matter, via methods like green manure and composting, to maintain nutrients taken from the soil by the preceding crops; unlike Green Revolution systems by which the land was not left to recuperate the nutrients it lost.
To conclude this essay, the Green Revolution differs from organic farming in a plethora of ways. The Green Revolution’s tactics is the complete opposite of organic farming’s methods of producing food. Organic farming uses Earth’s natural resources to produce food in contrast of the Green Revolution’s farming uses scientific, synthetic resources.

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