The G-7 Summit 2023, which was recently held in Japan, emphasised the urgent need to combat climate change and set aggressive targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. India, which has the largest agricultural workforce (45.6 percent in 2021-22) among G20 countries, has considerable hurdles. Policymakers must prioritise agricultural research, development, education, and extension (ARDE) to offset the damage and assure food and nutritional security.
The Importance of ARDE
- Agricultural Research Development, Education, and Extension (ARDE) plays a critical role in tackling the issues confronting the agriculture industry, particularly in the context of climate change.
- Climate Resilience: Scientists and specialists can identify crops and kinds that are more tolerant to changing climatic circumstances, such as drought, heatwaves, or extreme rains, through research and development initiatives. This allows farmers to adapt to climate change and mitigate its negative effects on crop yields and agricultural output.
- Resource Efficiency: It tries to optimise the use of vital resources such as water, soil, and energy by focusing on research and innovation. Precision farming techniques, efficient irrigation systems, soil management practises, and long-term pest and disease control are all part of this. Such developments aid in the conservation of resources, the reduction of input prices, and the reduction of agriculture’s environmental footprint.
- Enhanced Productivity entails the development of high-yielding crop varieties, the improvement of agronomic practises, and the dissemination of information and best practises through education and extension programmes. Farmers may raise yields, improve crop quality, and contribute to food security and economic growth by using these improvements.
- ARDE promotes organic farming while lowering dependency on chemical inputs, minimising soil degradation, protecting biodiversity, and encouraging sustainable agriculture. It promotes the transition to more sustainable and ecologically friendly agricultural systems through research and teaching, assuring the sector’s long-term sustainability.
- Innovation and Technology Adoption: It promotes the discovery and distribution of cutting-edge technologies such as precision agriculture, genetic engineering, biotechnology, and smart farming solutions by investing in research and development. These innovations assist farmers in increasing efficiency, reducing losses, and increasing profitability.
- They are concerned with distributing research findings, best practises, and agricultural information to farmers, rural communities, and agricultural stakeholders. ARDE provides farmers with the skills and information they need to make educated decisions and enhance their farming practises by expanding the knowledge base and creating capacity.
Climate change adaptation issues in India
- Extreme Weather Events: India is extremely vulnerable to extreme weather events such as cyclones, floods, droughts, and heatwaves. These catastrophes can inflict severe damage to infrastructure, crops, and livelihoods, affecting community resilience overall.
- Scarcity of Water and Stress: Climate change worsens water scarcity in many parts of India. Water supply for agriculture, home usage, and industry is impacted by changes in rainfall patterns, melting glaciers, and rising temperatures. This complicates irrigation, drinking water supply, and general water management.
- Agriculture and Food Security: India’s agricultural industry is critical to food security and rural communities. Climate change, on the other hand, threatens crop yields, productivity, and quality. Crop growth and food production can be impacted by erratic rainfall, increased pests and diseases, and dramatic temperature swings, posing food security challenges.
- Coastal Vulnerability: Because India has a long coastline, it is particularly sensitive to sea-level rise, coastal erosion, and storm surges. Infrastructure, settlements, agriculture, and ecosystems are all under peril in coastal areas. Sea-level rise caused by climate change raises the risk of saltwater intrusion, harming freshwater sources and agriculture in coastal areas.
- Climate change has an impact on the spread of vector-borne diseases such as malaria and dengue fever, as well as heat-related ailments. Rising temperatures and shifting rainfall patterns can have an influence on disease vector dispersion and public health systems, especially in impoverished populations with limited access to healthcare.
- Climate Change Threatens India’s Biodiversity and Ecosystems: Climate change threatens India’s diverse biodiversity and ecosystems. Climate change, shifting rainfall patterns, and habitat loss pose hazards to habitats, species, and vulnerable ecosystems such as coral reefs and mangroves. This has the potential to upset ecological equilibrium and jeopardise natural resources critical to human well-being.
- Infrastructure Resilience: Adapting to the effects of climate change will be difficult for India’s infrastructure systems, which include transportation networks, electricity grids, and urban settlements. Infrastructure flaws can cause service disruptions, increased repair and maintenance costs, and stifled economic growth.
- Inequalities: The effects of climate change may increase existing socioeconomic inequalities in India. Climate hazards disproportionately affect vulnerable communities, such as small farmers, tribal populations, and marginalised groups, due to low resources, lack of access to information, and weak adaptation capacities.
Policy Changes to Promote Climate Resilience
- National Adaptation Strategy to Climate Change: It is critical to develop a comprehensive national plan centred on climate change adaptation. Priority sectors, susceptible regions, and specific adaption strategies should be identified in this approach.
- Climate Change Considerations: It is critical to incorporate climate change considerations into sectoral policies and plans. Climate resilience must be incorporated into agricultural, water management, urban planning, infrastructure development, and coastal zone management strategies.
- Strengthening Institutional Frameworks: It is critical to establish strong institutional frameworks and coordinating systems for climate adaptation. This includes strengthening the capacity of key government ministries, local governments, and organisations to effectively undertake adaptation measures.
- Developing and Strengthening Climate Information Systems: Improving meteorological services, climate monitoring networks, early warning systems, and climate data management are all part of developing and strengthening climate information systems. Climate information that is easily accessible and trustworthy assists policymakers, communities, and sectors in effectively planning and responding to climate hazards.
- Encouragement of Nature-Based Solutions: Promoting nature-based solutions can improve climate resilience. This includes the preservation and restoration of natural ecosystems such as forests, wetlands, and mangroves, which provide critical ecosystem services. Nature-based solutions help with flood management, water regulation, carbon sequestration, and biodiversity protection, all of which help with climate change resistance.
Resolving Funding and Allocation Inequities
- Experiments at a Larger Scale: Increased funding for ARDE is critical for properly addressing climate change challenges. While total ARDE spending has increased, research intensity (ARDE as a % of agri-GDP) has decreased. More finances must be allocated to scale up trials and ideas in sustainable agriculture.
- Allocation by Sector: The current allocation of ARDE is skewed towards crop husbandry, ignoring sectors such as soil, water conservation, forestry, animal husbandry, dairy development, and fisheries. This imbalance must be addressed in order to encourage holistic agricultural research and development.
@the end
As global temperatures rise and the effects of climate change become more severe, closing remaining gaps in agricultural research and development becomes critical. Increased investment in ARDE, realignment of expenditures and policies, and an emphasis on sustainable agricultural practises are required to strengthen India’s agriculture sector’s climate resilience. By putting these steps first, India can ensure food and nutritional security while minimising the effects of climate change.
Source: https://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/climate-smart-agriculture