Climate Change and Sustainable Agricultural Practices
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National Paper - PLP 2019-20 Climate Change and Sustainable Agricultural Practices Introduction 1.0 Global concentrations of greenhouse gases (GHGs) in the atmosphere have been rising since the industrial revolution as a result of human activities. During the 20th century, Earth’s mean global temperature rose by almost 0.74°C and is expected to increase by a further 1.1°C to 6.4°C by the end of the 21st century (IPCC 2007a). Mean global sea levels are also expected to rise by 2100 AD, with Think Green – Go Green estimates ranging from 18 cm to 140 cm (IPCC 2007a). Hence climate change is one of the most critical global challenges at present as Countries and communities around the world are already experiencing stepped-up climate change impacts. Climate change increases volatility and threatens efforts to end poverty. Climate change is becoming a potent driver of internal migration. Without urgent action to reduce vulnerability, provide access to basic services, and build resilience, climate change impacts could push an additional 100 million people into poverty by 2030. 2. Under the Paris Agreement, the world committed to limit the rise in global temperatures to well below 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels by the end of the century and "endeavour to limit" them even more to 1.50C. The financing required for an orderly transition to a low carbon, resilient global economy can be counted in the trillions, not billions. Over the next 15 years, the world will require about $90 trillion in new infrastructure – most of it in developing and middle- income countries. Making the right choices in favour of infrastructure that is climate resilient and locks in a low carbon development pathway is critical and urgent. Achieving the goals of the Paris Agreement will require coordinated global action at an unprecedented scale and speed. 3. Climate change impact 3.1. The climatic changes will have serious implications for a number of sectors and resources, including agriculture, water availability and quality and ecosystems like coastal zones and Himalayan Ecosystems. They will also have an influence on the frequency and magnitude of natural disasters. Very minor changes to temperature can have major impacts on systems on which human livelihoods depend, including changes to water availability and crop productivity, the loss of land due to sea level rise and the spread of disease. The lives and livelihoods of many different communities will be at risk. Rural areas are highly vulnerable to climate change, since people there depend heavily on natural resources such as local water supplies and agricultural land. In fact, about 70% of the population in developing countries 1 National Paper - PLP 2019-20 live in rural areas, where agriculture is their main source of livelihood is highly vulnerable to climate change (IPCC 2007b). 3.2. The agricultural sector is already threatened by existing stresses such as decline in productivity, limited availability of water resources, land degradation, biodiversity loss, heat stress effect on animal productivity and air pollution. The melting of glaciers will be affected by rising temperature, hence the changing seasonality of water flows (spring floods and summer water shortages) and by severe water reductions in the long-term. This will lead to crop failure and loss of livestock, which in turn increases livelihood insecurity and the likelihood of out- migration and possibly dependency on food aid (IPCC 2007b). The following impacts of climate change most likely to affect India between now and 2100: Decreased snow cover will affect snow-fed and glacial systems. Erratic monsoons will affect India’s rainfed agriculture, water and power supply Rising sea levels will cause displacement along most densely populated coastlines, also threatening freshwater sources and mangrove ecosystems. Floods will increase in frequency and intensity. This will heighten the vulnerability of people in the country's coastal, arid and semi-arid zones. Over 50% of India’s forests are likely to experience shift in forest types, adversely impacting associated biodiversity, regional climate dynamics and livelihoods base 4.0. India’s Nationally Determined Contribution; India has agreed the following Nationally Determined Contribution (NDCs) in response to Paris Agreement which are as under: Propogate a healthy & To reduce emissions Sustainable way of living intensity of its GDP by 33 to 35 % in 2030 To adopt a climate friendly To achieve 40% installed and a cleaner path capacity of power - Non fossil fuel by 2030 To build capacities, create Cteate an additional carbon domestic framework & sink of 2.5 to 3 billion international architecture tonnes of CO2 by 2030 Adapt to climate change To mobilise domestic and by enhancing investments new & additional funds 5. Major Adaptation and Mitigation Strategies Generation for Renewable Energy of 175 GW by 2022. National Solar Mission scaled up by 100 GW by 2022. National Smart Grid Mission launched for efficient T & D network. Launched Smart Cities Mission to develop new generation cities by building a clean and sustainable environment. Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) is a new urban renewal mission for 500 cities across India. Launched one-of-its kind ‘Swachh Bharat Mission’ (Clean India Mission) 2 National Paper - PLP 2019-20 Formulated Green Highways (Plantation & Maintenance) Policy to develop long “tree-line” along both sides of national highways. Launched Soil Health Card Scheme to all farmers. Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana launched to promote organic farming practices. Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana launched to promote efficient irrigation practices. 6.o. Agriculture and Impacts of Climate Change: Indian agriculture is considered as a global agricultural powerhouse. Agriculture contributes 15% in National income, 12% in total exports and nearly 2/3rd of India’s families depend on income from agriculture. India is the world’s largest producer of milk (165.4 mt in 2016-17), pulses, and spices, and has the world’s largest cattle herd (buffaloes), as well as the largest area under wheat, rice and cotton. It is the second largest producer of rice, wheat, cotton, sugarcane, farmed fish, sheep & goat meat, fruit, vegetables and tea. The country has around 195 m ha under cultivation of which 63 percent area is rainfed (roughly 125m ha) while 37 percent area is irrigated (70m ha). 6.1. Food security is a major concern in India despite a record food grains production of 279 million tonne. The major factors which can be attributed to food security concerns are rising population, irregular monsoon and rainfed agriculture, inefficient water management & soil nutrient management, degraded soil quality, limited awareness about ecosystem services, extreme climatic events like frost, heavy rainfall, etc., poor access to modern farming technology, the shrinking agricultural land due to urbanization. To address the food security concerns, sustainable farming practices can be adopted to increase productivity per unit of land, water and reduce ecological harm. 6.2. Key Challenges for Sustainability of Agriculture in India 6.2.1. Soil Management: Land degradation is estimated around 96.4 million hectares (29.32 % of land area) and India aims to be land degradation-neutral in 2030, where any increases in land degradation are balanced by equivalent gains in land reclamation. According to the study conducted by The Energy and Resource Institute (TERI), losses in the agriculture sector caused by land degradation due to water erosion, wind erosion, salinity and loss of vegetation are pegged around Rs.72,000 crore ($ 10.68 billion). The estimated annual cost of land degradation (Rs.3.17 lakh crore or $46.90 billion) will outstrip the cost of reclamation in 2030.As per land- degradation data for 16 years (1995-2011), the reclamation cost is projected around Rs.3.17 lakh crore ($46.70 billion) for an area of 106.15 million hectares. 6.2.3. Water Management: India’s agriculture sector accounts for 80 percent of the country’s total water use. An estimate by 2030 Water Resources Group (2030 WRG) suggests that the gap between freshwater demand and supply could be 755 billion cubic meters by the year 2030 if business-as-usual water management practices were to continue. Conversely, water-logging is leading to the build-up of salts in the soils of some irrigated areas. 7.0. Sustainable Agriculture 7.1 Meaning and Key Principles: 3 National Paper - PLP 2019-20 Incorporation of Bio- ecological process in farm practices Cooperation / Decreased colloboration amount of non of different renewable and skills for unsustainable problem inputs solving Key Principles Self -reliance Enhanced and Self productivity of Sufficiency of land and water farmers resources Sustainable agriculture is the production of food, fibre or other plant or animal products using farming techniques that protect the environment, public health, human communities and animal welfare. In other words, Sustainable agriculture can be understood as an ecosystem approach to agriculture. The most important factors for agriculture farm are sun, air, soil, nutrients, and water. The water and soil quality and quantity are most amenable to human intervention through time and labour. Sustainable agriculture means those farming practices which are sustainable for longer time period for identified location and developed by understanding of ecosystem services, relationships between organisms and their environment. 7.2 Sustainable Agriculture Practices Improvement in Soil fertility through crop residue management, green manuring, Crop rotation and mixed cropping Adoption of Integrated Farming System (Dairy +Crop Production + Horticulture, etc) for efficient use of natural resources Adoption of water management practices as per water availability and increase in output productivity on per unit basis. Adoption of Sustainable agricultural practices such as conservation agriculture (Zero tillage), crop rotation, mixed cropping, mulching, etc. Adoption of Integrated Nutrient & Pest management 4 .