Dr. M S Swaminathan: Father of Indian Green Revolution - Part 1

(இதன் தமிழ் வடிவத்திற்கு இங்கே சொடுக்கவும்)

Father of Indian Green Revolution

• Monkombu Sambasivan Swaminathan is the legendary agricultural scientist widely regarded as the Father of the Green Revolution.
• He passed away at the age of 98 on September 28 in Chennai.
• He initially aimed to pursue a medical career but shifted his focus to agriculture due to the Bengal famine of 1942-43.
• It is a tragic event that left a profound impact on him and stirred his passion for improving India's agricultural sector.
• His contributions to agriculture in the 1960s and 70s transformed India’s farming landscape.
• It is ushering in an era of food security.

Early Life and Education

• On August 7, 1925, Swaminathan was born in Kumbakonam, Madras Presidency,
• He was the second son of Dr M. K. Sambasivan and Parvati Thangammal Sambasivan.
• He started his study in the local high school before transferring to the Catholic Little Flower High School in Kumbakonam.
• He passed the matric exam at the age of 15.

• He chose to devote his life to ensuring India had adequate food.
• India had food shortages after witnessing the effects of the Bengal famine of 1943 during World War II.
• He got two undergraduate degrees.
• Among them one was in zoology and another one was in agriculture from the Agricultural College, Coimbatore (now, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University).
• After that, he continued his further studies in Agricultural science and genetics.
• His keen interest in agricultural science, coupled with his father’s participation in the freedom movement and Mahatma Gandhi’s influence, inspired him to pursue higher studies in the subject.

Research works

• He pursued agricultural studies and research, delving into genetics and breeding, with the belief that improved crop varieties.
• It could have a significant impact on farmers' lives and help overcome food scarcity.
• In 1947, he came to New Delhi to study genetics and plant breeding at the Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI).
• He obtained a postgraduate degree in cytogenetics in 1949 from the Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI), New Delhi.
• After securing the PG, he cleared the UPSC exam and qualified for the IPS.
• He, however, chose to take up a UNESCO fellowship at the Wageningen Agricultural University in the Netherlands to continue his research on potato genetics.

• He then moved on to the Cambridge University School of Agriculture and earned a PhD in 1952.
• He did his post-doctoral research at the University of Wisconsin.
• However, he returned to India in 1954 to work here.
• He continued his research at the IARI.
• His study was concentrated on the genus Solanum, with a particular emphasis on the potato.  
• The need for potatoes during Wartime caused variations in age-old agricultural cycles.

• In certain regions, such as recovered agricultural fields, this resulted in golden nematode infestations.
• Swaminathan focused on modifying genes to enable resistance to parasites and cold conditions.
• This study was successful in supplying the potato demand.       
• He was a part of Krishnaswami Ramiah’s indica-japonica rice hybridization programme at Cuttack.
• This experience would have an impact on his future work with wheat.
• In October 1954, he worked as an assistant cytogeneticist at the Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI).
• Swaminathan criticized India for importing food grains when agriculture provided 70% of India’s income.

• Then he continued his research work to produce more agricultural products in time with the ambition that India would become a food exporter in the future.
• Swaminathan conducted foundational studies on the cytogenetics of hexaploid wheat in the 1950s and 1960s.  
• Swaminathan and Borlaug developed many varieties of rice and grains to lay the groundwork for the green revolution.
• Under Swaminathan’s leadership, efforts were launched at the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) to cultivate rice with C4 carbon fixation capabilities.
• It is enabling improved photosynthesis and water utilization.
• Swaminathan also contributed to developing the world’s first high-yielding basmati rice.

Contributions

MS Swaminathan’s Role in Agriculture

• M. S. Swaminathan’s influence in agriculture was extended far and wide.
• It encompasses the diverse roles and responsibilities both in India and on the international stage.

Role in the Green Revolution

• He was widely recognized for his pivotal role in the Green Revolution.
• The Green Revolution began in the 1960s.
• It is a transformative phase in Indian agriculture that significantly increased crop productivity and ensured Food Security for the nation.
• Swaminathan’s mission was to transform Indian agriculture.
• It introduced and developed new varieties of seeds, high-yielding crop varieties, improved irrigation facilities, promoted fertilizer use agricultural techniques to boost Indian agriculture.

• Wheat production in India surged from 6 million tonnes in 1947 to 17 million tonnes between 1964 and 1968.
• The Green Revolution bolstered India’s food security and reduced dependence on imports.
• Swaminathan worked on enhancing crop varieties, particularly rice and wheat.
• He pioneered the development of semi-dwarf wheat varieties to reduce lodging and boost yields.
• Swaminathan worked with Norman Borlaug and other scientists to bring a social revolution with farmers and government policies in famine-like circumstances in the 1960s.
• For this reason, MS Swaminathan is known as the “Father of the Green Revolution”.

• The introduction of dwarfing genes into wheat varieties was leading to the “Wheat Revolution.”
• Swaminathan recognized the challenges of the Green Revolution.
• It is including the displacement of local crop varieties, soil fertility conservation issues, and indiscriminate pesticide use.
• He also noted the risks of overexploiting groundwater.

A Transformative Era

• Swaminathan then worked with Prime Minister Indira Gandhi to develop agricultural programs and policies.
• That would assist the country in remaining self-sufficient in agriculture for many years.

• Swaminathan also served as the Ministry of Agriculture’s Principal Secretary from 1979 to 1980.
• From 1972 until 1979, he was the Director-General of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research.
• From 1980 to 1982, he served on the Planning Commission.
• There he was in charge of agricultural and rural development.
• At the heart of M.S. Swaminathan’s mission was the transformation of Indian agriculture.

Visionary approach

Improved Irrigation Facilities

• Recognizing the importance of water resources, he advocated for and facilitated improvements in irrigation methods, ensuring that crops received adequate water.

Promotion of Fertilizer Use

• Swaminathan’s advocacy for the judicious use of fertilizers contributed to improved soil fertility and increased crop yields.

High-Yielding Wheat and Rice

• Swaminathan's ground breaking work with Norman Borlaug was developing high-yielding wheat and rice varieties.
• The crop had a high yield, was of great quality, and was disease-free.
• After this, he developed different hybrid crop seeds.
• Its initial successes were witnessed in Mexico and the Indian subcontinent.
• Spanning from 1967-68 to 1977-78, the Green Revolution transformed India from a food-deficient nation to one of the world's leading agricultural powers.
• Swaminathan’s efforts in agriculture increased the productivity of foods like rice, wheat, gram, maize etc.
• During the green revolution, MS Swaminathan focused on advanced agricultural instruments for farming.
• The result also impacts the industrial growth of machinery supply.
• His demonstrations in various parts of India have altered rural people’s perceptions.

• Farmers have embraced new agricultural practices to get new information and implement it in agriculture.

Advancements in Crop Research

• Enhanced crop productivity by transferring genes for fertilizer response from Japonica to Indica varieties, thereby increasing agricultural output.
• Collaborated with Norman Borlaug to develop high-yielding dwarf wheat varieties suited for Indian conditions.
• Pioneered the development of high-yielding Basmati rice varieties, utilizing innovative mutation technology across various crops.
• It is notably the semi-dwarf wheat varieties, revolutionized agriculture in India during the 1960s and '70s.

• This transformation significantly increased crop yields.
• That is making India self-sufficient in food production and averting the looming threat of famine.
• These demonstrations were game-changing since the crop tripled prior output levels in the first year of the green revolution era.
• Swaminathan trained farmers to use these new approaches, overcoming the illiteracy barrier.
• Because of his efforts, the average agricultural production increased from 12 million tonnes to 23 million tonnes in just four crop seasons.

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