India’s leadership in climate resilience is rooted in its agrarian landscapes

Earlier this month, I met a group of farmers from one of the leading farmer producer organisations (FPO) of Maharashtra’s Marathwada region — the Samadhan Farmer Producer Organisation. Most of them were very concerned about their farm yield this season. They expected their yield to be reduced by 50 per cent — thus leading their profits to be halved.

Shiva Bhau, one of the farmers in the meeting, explained that crops like soyabean and cotton needed precipitation during the early monsoon months and the average-low rainfall this season affected crop yield and crop health.

Mahesh Bhau, another member farmer, added that most farmers in the region don’t have any other way of irrigating their crop and are completely dependent on the monsoon. Crops require a certain amount of water at every stage of growth and the absence of it leads to a decrease in soil moisture. This leads to disruption in nutrient uptake, causing stunted growth and lower yield.

While farmers in Maharashtra are affected by the deficient precipitation in the initial phase of the monsoon, heavy rain in the northern states damaged the newly planted crops resulting in many farmers replanting. According to data shown by the India Meteorological Department, only a third of the country has received average rainfall so far this season. Thity four per cent of India received deficient rains and 32 per cent excessive rainfall, the data shows.

Climate change is one of the greatest threats facing humanity, with far-reaching and devastating impacts on people, the environment, and the economy. And its effects are worse on the most vulnerable population — the farmers, pushing them in and out of poverty.

Farmers depend directly on healthy ecosystems for their livelihoods and with climate change, it is their vocation that is at risk. Farmers don’t have the same capacity to adapt.

We have a moral responsibility to respond in a way that improves the lives and livelihoods of farmers. And thus, adaptation is most necessary as it not only helps farmers avoid future losses but drives positive economic benefits. Climate change is increasing food prices, reducing food availability and the incomes and food production of smallholder farmers. It is also putting their food and nutritional security at risk as food is unavailable and unaffordable for them.

First, by reducing risk, adaptation actions lower financial costs, increase security, and make investments more appealing in farming where investments appear too vulnerable.

Up to 23 per cent of India’s food supply is already being lost to pests. As climate continues to change and further intensifies damage and/or creates new pest threats, it is more important than ever that every Indian farmer starts adapting their farm and farm management practices to protect food production and their livelihoods.

Second, by improving the productivity of resources and people, adaptation actions boost incomes. For example, drought-resistant varieties of soyabean in Jalna, Maharashtra, not only reduced losses during times of droughts, but also boosts farm yields during normal years.

Lastly, creating alternate source of livelihoods for farmers such as dairy, food processing or poultry farming helps them diversify their income sources and also become more resilient due extreme weather events.

A climate-resilient pathway is a comprehensive process that requires flexibility, innovation, and participative problem-solving. Adapting now is in our economic self-interest: it is typically much cheaper than recovery and rebuilding. Human behaviour does not favour taking the initiative when the location and timing of hazards are uncertain, when benefits of action may be years away, or when more immediate priorities take precedence.

As we understand the growing impact of climate change on agriculture, it is also important to know what works and what needs prioritisation. This is done by supporting experiential learning, sharing solutions, stimulating innovations in science and technology, and replicating promising business models and financial services.

All forms of knowledge are important. We must recognise that valuable local knowledge rests with farming communities. We need the solutions to be designed in ways that reinforce and support increased farmer rights, agency, and governance systems. Examples include water management and irrigation solutions that uphold water and land rights; preserve their right to self-determination, including rights to free, prior, and informed consent.

We must encourage the government to develop transition funds to help those farmers most affected by climate change. Private companies must work with smallholder farmers for adoption of digital technologies to manage better weather information, accelerate rate of development of new climate resilient crop varieties and provide access to affordable financing. Scaling up adaptation for farmers is a human, environmental, and economic imperative. Farmers must be put first in any decision-making process and their livelihoods, homes and farms protected.

Nidhi Pant is the Co-Founder of S4S Technologies, and currently part of the Women Climate Collective, a community seeking to increase the representation of women’s voices and perspectives in the climate conversation.

Views expressed are the author’s own and don’t necessarily reflect those of Down To Earth 

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