India has been in hot waters, quite literally. The recent heatwave, which began in the summer months in the country, has been the longest we have witnessed. Typically, India declares a heatwave when temperatures exceed 40°C in low-lying terrains, or 30°C in the mountains.
This year, parts of Delhi saw temperatures go up to about 51 degrees Celsius.
In 2022 as well, India and Pakistan witnessed a deathly heatwave, one that claimed at least 90 lives across the two countries.
In 2023, Indian cities in the North and East saw temperatures recorded a maximum temperature above 44°C on April 18. Reports show that in 2023, South Asian countries saw a high level of humid heat, which spelled disasters for humans, plants, crops and animals alike.
That makes this year’s heat waves the third in a row of many more to come. Findings from World Weather Attribution show that “Extreme heat in South Asia during the pre-monsoon season is becoming more frequent.”
The climate change connection
A 2021 study on Weather and Climate Extremes details how the Indian subcontinent saw an increase in the annual average extreme weather events (EWEs) during the last few decades. In the last 50 years, we saw over 700 heatwaves and a consequent loss of 17,000 lives.
Future projections also present a bleak image. A World Bank report believes that by 2030, India may have 34 million of an estimated 80 million global job losses from heat stress.
In a country where agriculture is the main sector of employment - in 2022, about 42 percent of Indians were employed in agriculture - heatwaves or climate-induced weather events can be a major cause of concern to many.
How it could impact India
India is one of the world’s largest wheat producers. But with temperatures rising to such heights, our national output is being affected. In 2022, the heat waves in March coincided with the flowering stage of the crop. This led to lower yields and distressed Indian farmers.
There has been a direct link between heat waves and crop outputs. According to the Indian Council for Agricultural Research (ICAR), if the average maximum temperature during the grain-filling stage of the wheat crop goes beyond 30°C, it could harm the growth of the plant. This explainer on how heat waves impact food production states that even a one-degree rise in temperature matters because it could mean a decrease of three to four percent in the yield.
The way forward
In a world where heat waves are now a far too frequent reality, finding ways to make our agricultural produce more resilient is crucial to ensure food security.
This is where climate-smart agriculture (CSA) could play a role. Comprising a set of practices and technologies, CSA offers a more holistic approach to how we carry out farming. The idea is threefold: To increase productivity, build more resilience to climate events and reduce global greenhouse gas emissions.
Since heat waves are not going to go away so quickly, we need to rethink our practices to work around it. CSA builds upon existing agricultural knowledge and sustainability principles to help farmers, while also curbing the impact of farming on the environment.
But what does it look like in heatwave-prone India?
One obvious side-effect is an increased demand for irrigation. But instead of relying on fossil-fuel-powered energy sources, farmers in India are now turning towards solar-powered irrigation methods, made more accessible to small-scale farmers through Oorja’s Pay-Per-Use business model. Oorja’s irrigation-as-a-service ‘Oonnati’ has been providing affordable and reliable irrigation water to farmers during “severe arid conditions”. Case in point: The utilization of solar pumps (days in a month) rose to 52 percent in July 2022 as compared to 34 percent in July 2021.
Through this, farmers now have an alternative, cleaner source of energy available to them. This transition away from diesel fuel has helped the farmers not just get affordable irrigation all year round but also grow diversified crops that are more lucrative.
The recent heat waves are a reminder not just of the unprecedented times we live in but also of the dire need to switch to greener methods of agriculture. Because after all, hay can only be made when the sun shines, not burns.