Question

‘Sometimes the new crops could make the difference between life and death.’ Explain the statement with any two examples.

Answer 1

“Sometimes the new crop could make the difference between life and death” suggests that a new agricultural crop’s success or failure can affect people’s survival. New crops that generate enough food can prevent famine and starvation. If the crop fails, food shortages and mortality may result.

Example 1: The Irish Potato Famine

• In the 1840s, potatoes were a major part of the diet in Ireland.
• Potato blight was a disease that wiped out potato crops.
• This agricultural failure created a terrible famine, resulting in the deaths of approximately one million people and huge migrations.
• This shows how the failure of a new or main crop can result in life-threatening situations.

Example 2: Introduction of High-Yielding Varieties (HYVs) in the Green Revolution

• Countries such as India saw the introduction of new high-yielding wheat and rice varieties in the 1960s.
• These novel crops produced far more food than older types.
• This helped to prevent famines and save millions of lives by providing food security.