As India grapples with the nuances of a proposed food security law, an UN body has reported that the global Green Revolution of the 40s that had increased agricultural productivity in parts of the country is now fast losing momentum. The panel called for an "evergreen revolution" that would focus on the sustainability aspect of food security.

“…Green Revolution (has) start to run out of steam, with concerns over prices of inputs such as fertilisers, water availability and competition for land also casting a shadow over the supply outlook — even as the global demand for food is projected to rise by 70 per cent by 2050,” said an UN report on global sustainability.

The green revolution was unsustainable because of agriculture was over-dependent on fossil fuel and optimal use of water, which led to ground water crisis in most parts of the globe, reads the report. In India, the side-effects of green revolution have been seen in parts of Punjab and Haryana where the ground water level has plunged further and further. The overuse of fertiliser has contaminated the ground water. The report, however, doesn't list specific problem areas.

The UN has called for a new generation of reforms in agriculture based on sustainable intensification, crop diversification and resilience to climate change. “It is time to embrace an evergreen revolution that doubles yields on sustainability principles,” said the report titled ‘Resilient People, Resilient Planet: A Future Worth Choosing’.

The report said that three-quarters of the world’s poor lived in rural areas and neraly 2.5 billion rural people were involved in agriculture.

“New ‘green’ biotechnologies can play a valuable role in enabling farmers to adapt to climate change, improve resistance to pests, restore soil fertility and contribute to the diversification of the rural economy,” the 99-page report held.

The report also called for a "new political economy" for sustainable development and a focus beyond the standard economic indicator of GDP.

The report noted that subsidies on fossil fuels should end by 2020. “In 2009, governments around the world spent an estimated $312 billion subsidising fossil fuel consumption and an additional $100 billion subsidising fossil fuel production,” the report pointed out.

The report was compiled by 22-member panel from all over the world co-chaired by Finnish president Tarja Halonen and South African president Jacob Zuma. The report panel also included Jairam Ramesh, minister of rural development as one of its member.

The report is published ahead of the UN conference on sustainable development (Rio+20) in Brazil in June.

Read the report.