One of the harshest truths about climate change is its deep unfairness—it hits the most vulnerable the hardest. Often, poverty and climate change are interlinked, and marginalised communities often bear the brunt of extreme weather events. Farmers are among the hardest hit, as their crops suffer from unpredictable and severe droughts, floods, and heatwaves as we are witnessing today.
This is on top of already existing problems like lack of financial access to resources and debt.
There is a lack of understanding of how climate change can impact farmers. The same heat that causes one to sweat uncomfortably in an urban office beats down harshly on the back of a farmer as he becomes a slave to nature. Every single degree Celsius increase in temperature reduces wheat production by 4-5 million tonnes, according to the Indian Agricultural Research Institute.
This story in The Morning Context highlights the multitude of problems farmers in India are facing. Climate change has led to decreased yields, the loss of zayed season due to prolonged heatwaves (a third crop season, usually short, before monsoon), increasing plant diseases, and so on.
Moreover, with summer reaching unbearable temperatures, farmers are losing hours they would other spend on farm work, further hampering their productivity. Kidney stones, dehydration and sunstroke also pose health risks.
Long story short: Climate change has wrecked havoc with the lives of close to half of India’s population. The same hands that feed a rapidly growing population are not getting enough themselves.
There is no silver bullet to ending climate change. But there are ways to at least build some resilience to it. Here’s where Climate Smart Agriculture (CSA) comes in.
What is CSA?
CSA is an agricultural approach that helps make farming more sustainable, resilient and productive. By using such methods, farmers not only get the most from their labour, but their consequent impact on the environment is also reduced.
Simple examples of CSA involve solar irrigation, rainwater harvesting, using technology to precisely apply pesticides or water, growing both crops and trees or shrubs, etc. This way, farmers adapt to a growing reality of extreme weather events, while still gaining a significant source of income. Moreover, this is done without relying only on natural resources.
CSA can be of great importance to India, where agriculture is such a big part of the economy. Millions are employed in it and with CSA, they can continue to be so in a more sustainable manner.
This detailed study by The Asia Foundation looks at the various CSA initiatives in India. While the idea is definitely gaining traction, the study also reminds us: “There is no definite stage by which the goal of achieving CSA can be said to have been fully realized. It is rather a journey and direction in which various climate smart agricultural practices and technologies are adopted.”
But by keeping at it, we could expect to not just adapt to climate change, but also mitigate some parts of it.
Some examples that have shown good results:
- Drought-tolerant paddy varieties in Buxar, Jehanabad, Saran, Aurangabad, Supaul in Bihar; Koderma, Gumla, Chatra, East Singhbhum and Palamu in Jharkhand, Jharsuguda, Sonepur and Ganjam in Odisha; Bilaspur in Chhattisgarh; East Sikkim; and Port Blair.
- Integrated Farming Systems where agriculture is combined with livestock, poultry, fisheries or duck rearing to increase income and maximise production. It is known to work in Jodhpur, Bikaner (Rajasthan); Haryana, Punjab, and north-eastern states.
- Crop diversification in Kathua (Jammu & Kashmir); Hamirpur, Chamba (Himachal Pradesh); Ropar (Punjab); Saran, Jehanabad, Supaul (Bihar); to name a few states.
At Oorja, we too are committed to meeting the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through CSA. While we are a company that provides farming as a service, the goal has always been to also equip small landholding farmers to build livelihoods for themselves, through sustainable means. As part of this, we also provide them with advisories and training on modern agronomic practices to help boost yields and income.
So far, 1,500+ smallholder farmers have been trained and we have seen a 27 percent increase in users' agricultural income in one year**.
Our own experiences have shown us that CSA not only improves agricultural output but also strengthens the livelihoods of farmers, and is worth investing in, both for the planet and its people.
**Correction Notice
We are committed to providing accurate and reliable information to our readers. In the original version of this blog article, published on November 5, 2024, a data error was made regarding the increase in agricultural income among our users. The referenced data incorrectly stated, "(...) we have seen a 57 percent increase in users' agricultural income in one year". This has now been updated to the accurate figure: "(...) we have seen a 27 percent increase in users' agricultural income in one year." We apologise for the oversight and appreciate your understanding as we strive for transparency and accuracy in all our communications.