This article attempts to determine thelong-term productivity and sustainability of irrigatedagriculture in the Indian and Pakistan Punjabs by measuringtrends in total factor productivity for production systemsin both states since the advent of the green revolution.These measurements over time and across systems haveresulted in three major findings. First, there were widespatial and temporal variations between the two Punjabs.Although output growth and crop yields were much higher inthe Indian Punjab, productivity growth was higher by only asmall margin. Moreover, the lowest growth in productivitytook place during the initial green revolution period and inthe wheat-rice system in both states. The time lag betweenadoption of green revolution technologies and realization ofproductivity gains is related to learning induced efficiencygains, better utilization of capital investments over time,and problems with the standard methods of productivitymeasurement that downwardly bias estimate, particularlyduring the green revolution period. Second, input growthaccounted for most of the output growth in both Punjabsduring the period under study. Third, intensification,especially in the wheat-rice system, resulted in resourcedegradation in both Punjabs. Data from Pakistan show thatresource degradation reduced overall productivity growthfrom technical change and from education and infrastructureinvestment by one-third.
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