Summary Document on Sustainable and Replicable Adaptation Interventions in selected Agro-Climatic Zones (Himalayan Region, Coastal and Plateau) Climate Change Factsheet (2020) (2020) Dr. Diwakar Hegde Bankers Institute of Rural Development, Bankers Institute ofLucknow Rural Development, Lucknow Content Sr Particulars Page No No 1 Introduction 1.1 Agro-Climatic Zone 1.2 Agro-Climatic Zone in India 2 Characteristics of different agro-climatic zone 2.1 Zone I- Western Himalayan Region 2.2 Zone II: Eastern Himalayan Region 2.3 Zone III- Lower Gangetic Plain Region 2.4 Zone IV - Trans-Gangetic Plains region 2.5 Zone V - Upper Gangetic Plains region 2.6 Zone VI - Trans-Gangetic Plains region 2.7 Zone–VII-Eastern Plateau and Hills region 2.8 Zone VIII - Central Plateau and Hills Region 2.9 Zone IX -Western Plateau and Hills region 2.10 Zone X- Southern Plateau and Hills region 2.11 Zone XI- East Coast Plains and Hills region 2.12 Zone XII - West Coast Plains & Ghats Region 2.13 Zone XIII Gujarat Plains and Hills region 2.14 Zone XIV -Western Dry Region 2.15 Zone XV -Islands Region- A & N Islands and Lakshadweep 3 Agriculture and livelihood Issues 4 Adaptation strategies to climate change in agriculture for livelihood security 5 Conclusion 6 Reference List of Figures Sr Title Page No No 1 (a) Fifteen Agro-Climatic Zone in India (b) Fifteen Agro-Climatic Zone in India 2.1 Agro-climatic Zone I showing different state and area under Western Himalayan Region 2.2 Agro-climatic Zone II showing different state and area under Eastern Himalayan Region 2.3 Different districts under Lower Gangetic Plain Region 2.4 Different districts under middle Gangetic Plain Region 2.5 Different districts under Upper Gangetic Plains region 2.6 Different districts under Trans -Gangetic Plains region 2.7 Different districts under Eastern Plateau and Hills region 2.8 Different districts under Central Plateau and Hills Region 2.9 Different districts under Western Plateau and Hills Region 2.10 Different districts under Southern Plateau and Hills region 2.11 Different districts under East Coast Plains and Hills region 2.12 Different districts under West Coast Plains & Ghats Region 2.13 Different districts under Gujarat Plains and Hills region 2.14 Different districts under Western Dry Region 2.15 Different districts under A & N Islands and Lakshadweep Region List of Table Sr No Title of table Page No 1 Details of Sub-Region under Western Himalayas Region Zone I 2 Details of Sub-Region under Eastern Himalayan Region -Zone II 3 Details of Sub-region under Lower Gangetic Region -Zone III 4 Details of Sub-Region under Middle Gangetic Plains –Zone IV 5 Details of Sub-Region under Upper Gangetic Plains Region - Zone V 6 Details of Sub-Region under Trans-Gangetic Plain Region- Zone VI 7 Details of Sub-Region under Eastern Plateau & Hills Region -Zone VII . 8 Details of Sub-Region under Central Plateau and Hills Region-Zone VIII 9 Details of Sub-Region under Western Plateau and Hills Region -Zone IX 10 Details of Sub-Region under. under Southern Plateau and Hills region-Zone X 11 Details of Sub-Region under East coast plains & Hills Region -Zone V 12 Details of Sub-Region under West Coast Plains & Ghats Region –Zone XII 13 Details of Sub-Region under Gujarat Plains and Hills region–Zone XIII 14 Different districts under Western Dry Region-XIV 15 Details of Sub-Region under Western Dry Region –Zone XIV Climate Resilient Agriculture And Livelihood Issues In India 1. Introduction The country became a hotspot for climate change with vulnerability rank 11th in the world (20181). As most models of climate change in India shows an increase in the variability of rainfall, an increase in mean temperature, resulting in extreme events of flood and drought across the country. It is reported that an increase in high-temperature days in a year decreases agricultural yields and real wages by 12.6 % and 9.8%, respectively, and increases annual mortality among rural populations by 7.3 % (Burgess et al 2014)2. It is also mentioned that if agriculture in India remains vulnerable to the climate variability that could reduce farm incomes by 15-18% (Subramanian A, 2017)3. Thus complex situations are making agriculture challenging to increase the production to the tune of 333 MT by 2050 to feed the ever-growing Indian population 1.70 billion by the year 20504. Thus it affects the food and livelihood security of vulnerable people, slows down the economic growth of the country, affects health and development. Given the complexity of climate change, to overcome the situation, farmers can adapt agriculture technology and practices to ensure increased production and manage the risk of climate variability and changes. This new approach called climate-resilient agriculture. These approaches and technology are very local species in terms of climate, crop, rainfall, and temperature and it requires thorough knowledge for the application to meet local needs. Therefore for preparing long term strategies for climate-resilient agriculture, it requires understanding the challenges of climate change variability across the different agro-climatic zone and its characteristics like soil type, different crops, and crops growing period, weather and climatic conditions. This helps to understand the suitability of climate- smart agricultural technologies and practices for a range of crops and cultivars. 1 http://ficci.in/Sedocument/20450/India%20Risk%20Survey%20-%202018.pdf 2 http://econ.lse.ac.uk/staff/rburgess/wp/WD_master_140516_v3.pdf 3 https://voxdev.org/topic/agriculture/climate-change-and-indian-agriculture 4 http://www.fao.org/3/a-ap106e.pdf This document has details of the 15 agro-climatic zone, its features in terms of soil type, different crop and crop growing period, weather parameters like maximum and minimum temperature, annual rainfall, extremes events, its vulnerability, impacts, and regional constraints climate change challenges and solutions. Thus it is expected that these details will help rural development practitioners, consultants, and other development agencies like NGOs, CBOs, etc. in strategies and program planning to build farming community resilience and reorient agriculture to cope with the climate change challenges. 1.1. Agro-Climatic Zone: Agro-climatic zones are an extension of the climate classification keeping in view the suitability to agriculture. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) defined an agro-climatic zone (ACZ) as a land unit represented accurately or precisely in terms of major climate and growing period, which is climatically suitable for a certain range of crops and cultivars. 1.2. Agro-Climatic Zone in India The Planning Commission of India has divided the India into fifteen broad agro-climatic zones with the objective to integrate plans of the agro- climatic regions with the state and national plans. It enables policy development based on techno-agro-climatic considerations. These 15 agro climatic zones division were on the basis of physiography, soils, geological formation, climate, cropping patterns, and development of irrigation and mineral resources for extensive agricultural planning and developing future strategies. The 15 different agro-climatic zones are as given below and shown in Fig 1(a) &(b) which are 1. Western Himalayan division 2. Eastern Himalayan division 3. Lower Gangetic plain region 4. Middle Gangetic plain region 5. Upper Gangetic plain region 6. Trans-Gangetic plain region 7. Eastern plateau and hill region 8. Central plateau and hill region 9. Western plateau and hill region 10. Southern Plateau and hill region 11. Eastern coastal plains and Hills 12. Western coastal plains and Ghats 13. Gujarat plains and hills 14. Western Dry region 15. Island Region Fig 1(a): Fifteen Agro-Climatic Zone in India5 5 Fig 1(b) : Fifteen Agro-Climatic Zone in India 2. Characteristics of different agro-climatic zone 2.1 Zone I- Western Himalayan Region Fig 2.1 : Agro-climatic Zone I showing different state and area under Western Himalayan Region6 Fig 2.1 Agro-climatic Zone I showing different state and area under the Western Himalayan Region with a number of perennial streams due to high rainfall and snow-covered mountain peaks of which Ganga, Yamuna, Jhelum, Chenab, Satluj and Beas, etc. are worthy of mention. The region is gifted with a number of perennial streams due to high rainfall and snow- covered mountain peaks of which Ganga, Yamuna, Jhelum, Chenab, Satluj, and Beas, etc. are worthy of mention. a) Area: Western Himalayan Region Zone I (Fig 2.1 ) covers the area of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, and the hill region of Uttarakhand which includes Jammu, Doda, Udhampur, Rajouri, and Punch, Srinagar, Budgam Anantnag Pulwama Baramula Kupwara Leh Kargil in Jammu and Kashmir. Una, Bilaspur, Hamirpur, part of Sirmour, Kangra, Solan, Chamba district, Palampur, Shimla, Mandi, Kullu, Kinnaur in Himachal Pradesh and part of Pauri Garhwal Dehra Dun, Almora, Pithoragarh, Uttarkashi, Chamoli, Tehri districts in Uttarakhand. This region is divided into four subzones (Table 2.1) b) Economy : The economy of the zone is largely agrarian and the population is rural-based and poor. 6 http://farmech.gov.in/06035-04-ACZ1-15052006.pdf c) Major Crops: The major crops grown in the area under this region are saffron, maize, barley, oats wheat, peaches, apricot, pears, cherry, almond, litchis, walnut. In valleys, paddy grows whereas in the terraced field and in hilly areas maize grows in Kharif season. In winter barley oats and wheat is used to cultivate. The crop growing period ranges from 90–120 days. The region is highly favourable for horticultural crops especially apple orchard and other temperate fruits such as peaches, apricot, pears, cherry, almond, litchis, walnut, etc. Tea plantation has been started in areas like Garhwal-Kumaun hills. Locally known ‘dhoks’ or ‘margs’, which are high altitude pastures are used by the Gujjars, Bakarwals and Gaddis to rear their sheep, goats, cattle and horses.