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NEWS ALERTS | Climate Resilient Agriculture: India’s answer to climate change
Climate Resilient Agriculture: India’s answer to climate change

Climate Resilient Agriculture: India’s answer to climate change

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published Published on Mar 5, 2014   modified Modified on May 23, 2016

As the challenge of global warming looms large, the importance of climate resilient agriculture (CRA) gets recognized by both scientific and farming communities. Countries like India are expected to be intensely affected by climate change since majority of the population is primarily dependent on agriculture for livelihood. CRA, encompassing adaptation and mitigation strategies and the effective use of biodiversity at all levels-genes, species and ecosystems-should, therefore, be India's response towards sustainable development in the face of changing climate, as per the recently released report entitled Climate Resilient Agriculture in India, published by National Academy of Agricultural Sciences (NAAS) (please see the links below).

 

With only 2.4 percent of total land and 4.0 percent of water resources at its disposal, Indian agriculture has the daunting task to feed 17.5 percent of global population. On top of it, the country is witnessing continuously degrading natural resource base compounded further by global warming, and associated climate changes. In such a scenario, India will gain from CRA, which includes an in-built property in the system for the recognition of a threat that needs to be responded to, and also the degree of effectiveness of the response. CRA will basically involve judicious and improved management of natural resources.

The NAAS report on CRA mentions that climate change will result in change in productivity (with reference to quantity and quality of crops), change in agricultural practices (like water use and application of fertilizers, insecticides, and herbicides etc.) and environmental influences. Based on modelling studies, it is depicted that changing climate will decrease yields in major crops like wheat, rice and maize. However, the impacts could be neutral to positive in case of groundnut, soybean and chickpea.

Illustrating the impact of climate on crop production and yield, fisheries and livestock, based on survey of scientific studies, the report draws our attention to the gravity of the problem. For example, on an aggregated scale, the mean of all emission scenarios indicate that climate change is likely to reduce irrigated rice yields by approximately 4% in 2020 (2010-2039), roughly 7% in 2050 (2040-2069), and by about 10% in 2080 (2070-2099) climate scenarios. Early modelling studies on wheat indicated that with every rise of 1°C in mean temperature, India could lose 4-5 million tonnes of wheat. Climate change may increase production of potatoes in Punjab, Haryana and western and central Uttar Pradesh by 3% to 7% in A1B 2030 scenario, but in the rest of India, particularly West Bengal and Southern Plateau region, the production may decline by 4%-16%. A rise of 2°C - 6°C due to global warming (time slices 2040-2069 and 2070-2099) is projected to negatively impact growth, puberty and maturity of crossbred animals and buffaloes.

As per the NAAS report, performance of Indian agriculture is already being affected by climate change and its variability in terms of long-term changes in shifting weather patterns (which threaten agricultural productivity through high and low temperature regimes), increased rainfall variability, and rising sea levels that potentially deteriorate coastal freshwater reserves and increase risk of flooding. Climate change is likely to result in price hike of agricultural commodities, feed supplies and consequently livestock products like meat and milk. Rainfall variability and reduction in number of rainy days will affect rainfed agriculture.

As a remedy, the NAAS report asks for promoting scientific agroforestry to fight climate change since agroforestry systems buffer farmers against climate variability, and reduce atmospheric loads of greenhouse gases. It has been argued that location specific usable scientific results will form an important part of the adaptation strategies against climate variability. Conservation agriculture, an approach to farming that seeks to increase food security, alleviate poverty, conserve biodiversity and safeguard ecosystem services, can also contribute to making agricultural systems more resilient to climate change.

The National Initiative on Climate Resilient Agriculture (NICRA) project of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), mainstreamed in the National Mission on Sustainable Agriculture (NMSA), has been initiated for rendering Indian agriculture more resilient to climate change, says the report.

It is worth mentioning here that the Government has recently released the Operational Guidelines for National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture (NMSA) that will further India's quest for climate resilient agriculture. Among its objectives, the NMSA wants to make agriculture more productive, sustainable, remunerative and climate resilient by promoting location specific Integrated/ Composite Farming Systems as well as to conserve natural resources through appropriate soil and moisture conservation measures.

References:

Climate Resilient Agriculture in India (2013), Policy Paper no. 65, National Academy of Agricultural Sciences, December,
http://naasindia.org/Policy%20Papers/Policy%2065.pdf

Operational Guidelines for National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture-NMSA (2014), Department of Agriculture & Cooperation, Ministry of Agriculture
http://agricoop.nic.in/imagedefault/whatsnew/nmsagidelines.pdf

UNICEF, FAO and SaciWATERs (2013): Water in India: Situation and Prospects, http://www.im4change.org/docs/656water-in-india-report.pdf

Wani, SP, Sreedevi TK, Rockström, J and Ramakrishna, YS (2009): 'Rainfed Agriculture-Past Trends and Future Prospects', in Wani, Suhas P, Rockström, Johan and Oweis, Theib, Rainfed Agriculture: Unlocking the Potential, Chapter 1, CABI, ICRISAT and IWMI,
http://www.iwmi.cgiar.org/Publications/CABI_Publications/C
A_CABI_Series/Rainfed_Agriculture/Protected/Rainfed_Agricu
lture_Unlocking_the_Potential.pdf

Planning Commission (2013): Twelfth Five Year Plan documents (Volume 1, 2 and 3), http://planningcommission.gov.in/plans/planrel/12thplan/we
lcome.html

Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (2013): Statistics related to Climate Change-India, GoI,
http://mospi.nic.in/Mospi_New/upload/climate_change_29nov13.pdf

Ministry of Environment and Forests (2009): State of Environment Report 2009, http://envfor.nic.in/soer/2009/SoE%20Report_2009.pdf

Ministry of Agriculture (2013): State of Indian Agriculture 2012-13,
http://www.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/files/file/State%
20of%20Indian%20Agriculture%202012-13.pdf

Ministry of Agriculture (2012): State of Indian Agriculture 2011-12,
http://agricoop.nic.in/SIA111213312.pdf

Ministry of Environment and Forests (2010): Elucidation of the 4th National Report submitted to UNCCD Secretariat, 2010, GoI,
http://envfor.nic.in/sites/default/files/unccd-report_0.pdf

Gray, Erin and Srinidhi, Arjuna (2013): Watershed Development in India: Economic Valuation and Adaptation Considerations, World Resources Institute, December,
http://www.wri.org/sites/default/files/wsd_in_india_0.pdf

Image Courtesy: Inclusive Media for Change

 



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