Answer:  Green Revolution was a period in the 1960s which brought drastic changes in Indian agriculture by the introduction of a high yielding variety of seeds, use of pesticides and fertilizers which resulted in India becoming a self-sufficient nation in terms of foodgrains.

The 2nd green revolution is a concept that aims to bring another set of radical changes in Indian agriculture with its focus on sustainability , climate resilient crops, conservation of soil health, reduced use of fertilizers-pesticides and most importantly to generate enough profits for small and marginal farmers.

Need of a 2nd Green Revolution:

• Failures of the 1st green revolution: Green Revolution of 1960s was limited in its regional spread, focussed exclusively on wheat and rice and instilled a bad habit of using excessive pesticides among farmers.
• For example: Most of the benefit of the green revolution was concentrated in the regions of Punjab and Haryana. Excess pesticide use has led to Punjab becoming the cancer capital of India.

• Climate change: Indian agriculture is a ‘gamble on monsoon’. With the advent of climate change and events like El-Nino, over dependence on rains has serious implications for farmer incomes and food security.

• Changing crop pattern and Increasing crop productivity:  Rice-Wheat monoculture has been dominant in India which hampers soil health and signals an urgent need to diversify. Indian farms still utilize old school practices of sowing and harvesting which results in excessive resource utilization and low productivity.

• For example : Paddy yields at all India levels in 2022-23 were about 2800 kg per hectare which are far behind countries like China which have yields of over 6500 kg per hectare.

• Doubling farmer incomes: As per NSO survey Indian farmers merely earn Rs.10,000 per month which is not enough for them to sustain.

Challenges in implementation:

• Lack of mechanization: Farm mechanization in India is not even 50% which is way below developing countries like China and Brazil.
• Lopsided MSP Policy: Government announces high MSP for rice and wheat which encourages the farmers to continue with their monoculture.
• Land fragmentation: 86% of Indian farmers have landholdings which are less than 2 hectares in size, rendering it difficult to carry out any large scale interventions and agriculture on small landholdings leaves little marketable surplus.
• Issues at WTO: India’s MSP programme, Public stock holding policy and subsidies on fertilizers are often the cause of disputes at WTO as they are seen as barriers to fair international trade.

Steps taken by government to push 2nd green revolution:

• Focus on sustainability: Government in recent years has launched schemes like National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture, focus on organic farming and programs like Paramparagat Krishi Yojana which talks about reducing the use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides.

• Augmenting farmer incomes : PM Kisan provides Rs 6000 to every farmer with a goal to increase farmer incomes and help them adopt better sustainable practices.

• Incentivizing shift in cropping pattern : States are pushing farmers to diversify their cropping pattern and move away from rice and wheat.

• For example : Haryana government’s Mera paani Meri Viraasat scheme , which gives farmers Rs 7000 per acre if they plant pulses , maize or cotton instead of paddy.

Today , we need to realize MS Swaminathan’s vision of an “Evergreen Revolution” which talks about perpetual improvement in agricultural productivity without causing any ecological harm. The 2nd green revolution is a step towards achieving it.