Which term corresponds to the mid-20th century period of agricultural transformation characterized by high-yield crop varieties and modern farming techniques?

• A. Third Agricultural Revolution
• B. Green Revolution
• C. Second Agricultural Revolution
• D. Agribusiness

Answer: (A)

The mid-20th century shift in farming, defined by high-yield crop varieties and modern farming techniques, is best described as the Third Agricultural Revolution. This period marks the move from traditional, labor-intensive farming to industrialized agriculture driven by improved seed varieties, synthetic fertilizers and pesticides, expanded irrigation, and greater mechanization. These changes, especially for staples like wheat and rice, led to dramatic increases in yields and helped reshape food security worldwide. In many contexts, people also refer to this same era as the Green Revolution, highlighting the practical outcomes of these innovations, though the Third Agricultural Revolution framing emphasizes the technological and systemic shift that accompanied and followed World War II. The other terms fit different concepts: the Second Agricultural Revolution happened earlier and focused on mechanization and enclosure in the 18th–19th centuries, while agribusiness describes the modern corporate-driven system rather than a specific historical phase.