Which practice is NOT typically associated with the Green Revolution?

• A. High-yield seeds
• B. Fertilizers
• C. GMOs
• D. Organic composting and traditional seed saving

Answer: (D)

The Green Revolution focused on boosting crop yields by introducing advanced, input-intensive farming: high-yielding varieties designed to produce more grain, and the large-scale use of chemical fertilizers and irrigation to unlock that potential. The idea was to push productivity through modern seeds and external inputs, rather than through traditional, low-input methods.

High-yield seeds fit this pattern exactly, as they were bred to respond to abundant nutrients and irrigation with much higher output. Fertilizers are the other cornerstone, supplying essential nutrients that soil alone often cannot provide at the needed levels. GMOs, while not a defining feature of the original Green Revolution, represent a later development that continued the aim of increasing yields or resilience through crop modification, so they’re still part of the broader trajectory toward higher production.

Organic composting and traditional seed saving, however, align with older, low-input, biodiversity-preserving practices that rely on natural soil fertility and locally adapted varieties rather than synthetic inputs and standardized high-yielding crops. That mismatch with the Green Revolution’s approach is why this option is not typically associated with it.