Experts weigh in: making India’s crops climate-resilient

Creative Commons: Moosa Khan, 2010

India is a large country with a diverse climate. Diverse seasons mean diverse crops and farming systems. There is a high dependency of agriculture on the monsoon rains and a close link exists between climate and water resources. Two thirds of the area is rain dependent. Add to this picture the small land holdings, poor coping mechanisms and low penetration of risk management products.

With a 0.68 degrees Celsius increase in temperature so far  in India, it is expected that there will be pronounced warming in future, particularly during the post monsoon period and winter. There will be increased frequency of floods during the monsoon and a decrease in winter precipitation with a lower number of rainy days.

Amongst the key impacts will be the faster retreat of Himalayan glaciers, frequent floods and decrease in crop yields.   Yield reductions are predicted in wheat and rice due to temperature rise in key growing regions. Until last year, 2009 was the warmest year on record in India since 1901 (+0.913 degrees C above the normal of 24.64 degrees C) now the warmest year is 2010 (+0.93 degrees C).

In more detail, the potential impacts on Indian agriculture would look like this: the productivity of most cereals would decrease due to increase in temperature and CO2, and the decrease in water availability. There will be a projected loss of 10-40% in crop production by 2100 if no adaptation measures are taken. A one degree Celsius increase in temperature may reduce yields of major food crops by 3-7%. The length of the growing period in rainfed areas is likely to decrease, especially in peninsular regions. We are also going to see increased climatic extremes such as heat and cold waves, which are likely to increase production variability.

Read more: Climate & Development Knowledge Network >>

Tags: Africa, Agriculture, Food Security, India

Category: Impacts, News