This paper provides a rough outline of the genesis of the Green Revolution, with special emphasis placed on its socio-political aspects. Most examples provided pertain to the Indian Punjab, as HYV diffusion was greatest there compared to the rest of Southeast Asia. The first section deals with the major institutions and actors generally seen as occupying a central role in the development of the high-yield seed variety (HYV), such as the CIMMYT and the IRRI. Briefly discussed are also basic considerations about the growing circumstances in India and the proposed benefits of HYV seed technology. In Part II, a detailed account is given about the precise political circumstances that surrounded agricultural research after the Second World War. Discussed at length is also the influence of the Rockefeller Foundation and the U.S. government in helping shape the Green Revolution's institutional predecessors in Mexico, such as the Office of Special Studies. Part III runs through the social and political consequences of HYV seeds as an agricultural innovation devised specifically to alleviate rural poverty. It entertains both the positive and negative aspects and also broadens the paper‟s general scope by inviting the reader to think critically about the role of science in society. Part IV seeks to demonstrate how the Green Revolution is largely the product of a socio-political system that encouraged its development and was largely responsible for the minutia of its effects.
Political Dimensions of Agricultural Innovation and the Green Revolution in India: Paper
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