Climate Change Is Now The Only Constant. An Agri-Revolution Could Upend It

Where there is land, there is water, and where there is water, there is land. Kaprada in Gujarat was once a region that received the highest rainfall of the season, while Kutch saw the largest drought-affected area.

But now, with both these regions seeing the effects of climate change, Kaprada has been receiving less than the average rainfall, and Kutch has been receiving more than expected for the last two decades.

Climate Change Affecting The Fields

After the monsoon ended in mid-September in Gujarat, the State government was forced to announce a ₹10,000 crore agricultural package due to heavy crop damage across 44 lakh hectares of land caused by erratic rain in October and November.

It also started purchasing some crops at support prices at a cost of ₹15,000 crore. Agricultural scientists warn that all these incidents are a direct result of climate change. The most serious impact of climate change is being felt on agriculture, so it is time to immediately turn to climate-smart practices in the field. 

In this situation, agricultural scientists have expressed concern that if changes are not made in cropping patterns, a time may come when many states of the country become dependent on external grains and agricultural products.

Over the last two decades, increasing weather uncertainty, excessive rainfall, monsoon instability, and summer temperatures touching 50 degrees Celsius have made traditional farming methods risky.

Controlling Losses, Changing Patterns

Krishi Vigyan Kendra expert Bharat Mehta is of the opinion that we cannot prevent natural disasters, but we can control agricultural losses. If we look at weather patterns in recent years, situations like unseasonal rain, extreme heat, and heavy rainfall are occurring frequently, forcing farmers to change their cropping patterns, he says.

According to him, the natural strength of the soil has been destroyed due to over-fertilisation and over-irrigation. Fertility is decreasing because of excessive use of chemical fertilizers.

In most cases, organic carbon in Gujarat is only 0.5%, which is alarming. If this situation continues, the land may become unproductive. Dr Mehta says that earlier, the land was easily ploughed by keeping the plough at a 30-degree angle, but now it is difficult to plough even with a tractor.

With the land being hard and soil being compacted, water does not penetrate, resulting in rainwater accumulation, which causes the greatest crop damage.

Climate-Smart Cropping

Suggesting key preventive measures for farmers, Dr Mehta said that the use of chemical fertilizers must be reduced by increasing organic carbon. To improve soil health, we will have to shift towards natural and organic farming. Climate-smart farming means adopting biotic and abiotic stress-tolerant seed varieties that can tolerate heat, cold or high and low humidity.

Experts suggest that mono-cropping should be avoided and instead farmers should adopt mixed cropping, intercropping, and crop rotation. Farmers can reduce risk by combining agriculture with horticulture. Processing and market linkages must be strengthened. Animal husbandry needs to be encouraged to diversify income and reduce risks.

A senior official of the state’s Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Department highlighted the increasing threat to agriculture due to changing weather and said, “Due to climate change, winters are becoming shorter and warmer. Heatwaves are increasing in summer. Storms have increased after the monsoon. During the monsoon, the entire season’s rainfall occurs within just one and a half months. Unseasonal rain is seen during October-December, which is a clear sign of climate change. Climate change is no longer a future threat but a present reality. Only farmers, scientists and policymakers can work together to make India’s agriculture climate-resilient.”