Climate counsel: These farmers in Maharashtra protect each other’s crops from extreme weather; here is how

In the last week of May, Deepak Patil had rushed to finish harvesting his banana crop on his 5.6-hectare (ha) plot in Machala village of Maharashtra.

Fellow cultivators of the Maharashtra Onion Farmers Group had warned him that there would be four days of strong winds and rainfall over Jalgaon district, where the village is located. By employing additional workers, Deepak was able to save his banana crop from the rain.

Since 2019, the Maharashtra Onion Farmers Group has been helping farmers in northern and western Maharashtra anticipate and prepare for extreme weather and other impacts of the warming world.

The network of some 2,000 farmer-members uses social media platforms such as a Facebook page, WhatsApp groups, a Youtube channel, and in-person gatherings to share localised weather warnings based on observation.

For detailed weather forecasting, the group takes the advice of Vijay Jaybhaye, a farmer from Sinnar village in Nashik district, who reads weather reports and scientists’ predictions.

“Some districts see different weather conditions in the northern areas than in the southern parts. So I share taluka-wise predictions on social media,” Jaybhaye says.

The members of the group also share with each other traditional and new methods of cultivation to help build climate resilience.

“Climate change has become the biggest threat to the livelihood of small and marginal farmers,” says Baban Nanabhau Fand Patil, a farmer from Sarola Adwai village in Ahmedangar district and one of the founders of the network.

“My village falls in a drought-prone region. All my life, I had cultivated horticulture crops. However, since 2005 I have realised that the water levels in wells and percolation tanks are on a decline; the rainfall pattern too has changed. To combat this shortage, I moved away from horticulture and started cultivating crops like green gram, pearl millet, soya and french beans, which require less water. I shared my learnings with other farmers,” he says.

“In 2019, we initiated the Maharashtra Onion Farmers Group. The focus was first on onion, which is commonly grown in this part of the state. Soon the group expanded its knowledge and now holds consultations on over 30 crops,” he adds.

For instance, Deepak began to diversify the crops he grew on his total 9.3 ha farmland. “Members of the group advised me to take up farming of ginger, tomato and onion along with banana. I was quite new to ginger, but the group helped at every stage. In 2022, I was able to earn Rs 7 lakh for the yield from 0.4 ha of ginger crop, while I got Rs 45 lakh for tomato that I planted over 1.6 ha.”

The members also work on gauging market prices and developing seed varieties. “I received training from the government and began developing seeds 20 years ago. I have developed seeds for onion, soya and wheat which I share with members of the group,” says farmer Manish Kumbhekar from Wagholi village in Ahmednagar.

This was first published in the 16-30 June, 2023 print edition of Down To Earth 

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