Handling heatwave: Way ahead for Indian agriculture

This year, parts of the world have been caught in the grip of heatwaves and wildfires that have been sweeping across Europe and Asia. Greece, Spain and Italy experienced wildfires as the heatwave moved across Europe. Asia too experienced heatwaves, with temperatures soaring in India and Pakistan, and China experiencing record rainfall and scorching heat. India witnessed its hottest March in over a century, and the warming of the Indian Ocean and recurring El Nino events could lead to more and longer lasting heatwaves in the country. “Heatwaves will happen more frequently because of climate change,” Petteri Taalas, secretary-general of the World Meteorological Organisation stated. Too hot to handle: Impact on Indian agriculture The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s most recent report suggested that average temperatures would most likely go beyond 1.5°C higher than pre-industrial times within a decade. A Lancet study states that India has become 15% more vulnerable to heat extremities, than in 1990. Extreme weather conditions have significantly impacted Indian agriculture and this was particularly severe in 2021. The occupational and heat stress limits working hours for farm labour, lowering outcomes and incomes. Overall, India has lost 5.04 million hectares of crop area to cyclonic storms, flashfloods, landslides and cloudbursts, till 25 November 2021. Least developed countries lost $108.5 billion due to a disaster-induced decline in crop and livestock production, as per the Food and Agriculture Organisation. The country’s wheat output is set to fall this year marking an end to a streak of record harvest for five consecutive years, on rising temperatures cutting down crop yields, with estimates of around 20 per cent of the wheat crop being damaged due to heatwaves. Weathering not withering: How agriculture can handle cimate change With the erratic and prolonged climatic conditions, Indian agriculture needs to become more climate resilient. Here are a few ways in which this issue can be addressed: Development of climate resilient crops There should be a renewed focus on crops that can weather erratic climatic conditions. Under the National Initiative on Climate Resilient Agriculture, climate resilient technology demonstrations have been implemented in 151 climatically vulnerable districts of the country. Some ways to achieve this are by building soil carbon, reducing erosion and increasing the water retention capacity of soil. There can be a renewed focus on salinity tolerant crops. Use of technology Innovative technologies and practices can be included for agriculture to mitigate the effects of climate change, and empower farmers, via web platforms where weather vagaries can be tracked. Collaborations with institutions Organisations and agricultural and scientific institutes can collaborate to conduct studies on crop resilient products, and how these can be best implemented. We can use this as a lesson to build resilient systems for agriculture and in turn ensure food safety and security as well. Let the passing heatwaves offer a permanent change in mindset on how we deal with agriculture factoring in climate change. The author is MD & CEO, Rallis India. Views are personal. Read all the Latest News , Trending News ,  Cricket News , Bollywood News , India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.