green revolution

American  

noun

Agriculture.

1. an increase in food production, especially in underdeveloped and developing nations, through the introduction of high-yield crop varieties and application of modern agricultural techniques.

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green revolution British  

noun

1. the introduction of high-yielding seeds and modern agricultural techniques in developing countries

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green revolution Scientific  

1. The application of science to increasing agricultural productivity, including the breeding of high-yield varieties of grains, the effective use of pesticides, and improved fertilization, irrigation, mechanization, and soil conservation techniques.

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green revolution Cultural  

1. The increase in the world production of cereals such as wheat and rice during the 1960s and 1970s because of better seed and new agricultural technology.

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The green revolution greatly increased the availability of food and confounded predictions of worldwide famine that had been made in the early 1970s.

Etymology

Origin of green revolution

First recorded in 1965–70

Example Sentences

The green revolution in Brazil—and, to a lesser extent, in Argentina—has dramatically expanded global exportable supplies of soy, corn, and beef.

From Barron's • Dec. 22, 2025

The artificial sequestering of nitrogen into fertilizer sparked a green revolution that enabled the human population to double.

From Scientific American • Oct. 19, 2023

Shipping and freight have also finally embraced the green revolution.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 27, 2023

The next few years saw the emergence of many young Nigerian agriculture entrepreneurs, like Mr Williams and Mr Nwuneli, in a period that many reports described as Nigeria's "green revolution".

From BBC • Jun. 10, 2023

However, tens of millions of villagers, particularly in the south,     have not benefited from the green revolution and live in abject poverty, and     great numbers of urban residents lack the basic essentials of life.

From The 1992 CIA World Factbook by United States. Central Intelligence Agency