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(GIST OF KURUKSHETRA) Climate Sustainable Agriculture

(July-2023)

Climate Sustainable Agriculture

Introduction:

The question of food security is going to be one of the biggest challenges facing humanity. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) data, the relative rates of increase in yield for major cereal crops are decreasing. The food security challenge will only become more difficult, as the world will need to produce about 70 per cent more food by 2050 to feed an estimated 9 billion people, while the population is projected to reach 11 billion in 2100 (UN Population Division report).

What is Climate-Smart Agriculture (CSA)

Climate-smart agriculture (CSA) is an integrated approach to managing landscapes— cropland, livestock forest and fisheries, that address the interlinked challenges of trad security and climate change.' A range of agricultural practices that transform agricultural system to/support food security in the face of climate change have been collectively known by the name CSA. Basically, the CSA targets three outcomes simultaneously:

1. Increased productivity: A 2020 World Bank report found that nearly 690 million people— or 8.9 per cent of the global population— are hungry, up by nearly 60 million from 2015 onwards. Saving this population from hunger in the first place and providing them with necessary nutrition are the two major dimensions of increasing the productivity of agricultural produce.

2. Enhanced resilience: Developing crops that could sustain extreme weather conditions like drought, flooding, etc., and sustain against pests, diseases, and other climate-related risks and shocks; and improve capacity to adapt and grow in the face of longer-term stresses like shortened seasons and erratic weather patterns are the major objectives under enhancing resilience.

3. Reduced emissions: As discussed in the above section, agriculture is responsible for global warming on a large scale. So, for climate-smart agriculture, it is imperative to find ways to reduce emissions for each kilo of food produced, avoid deforestation and identify ways to absorb carbon out of the atmosphere.

Climate-Smart Crop Production Practices and Technologies

The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) says in its 2011 report that it is impossible to harvest good crops with bad seeds. Therefore, for the success of any climate smart agriculture, it is very important to develop and follow smart management practices and technologies. These practices and technologies must be able to address the problems of production as well as emissions in agriculture.

To effectively implement a climate-smart agriculture strategy, there are some components that are recommended by FAO:

Develop climate-resistant crop varieties and involve farmers in decision-making.
Diversify crops and organisms to promote farm resilience and profitability.
Holistically combat climate change effects on pests, diseases, and weeds.
Prioritize water resource management to address increasing water scarcity.
Protect soil through integrated landscape planning and sustainable management practices.
Enhance productivity and reduce emissions through appropriate machinery and precision farming.

Initiatives by the Government of India:

National Innovation on Climate Resilient Agriculture (NICRA): This is a network project of the
Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) launched in February 2011 with an outlay of Rs. 350 crore. The project aims to enhance the resilience of Indian agriculture, covering crops, livestock, and fisheries
to climatic variability and climate change through development and application of improved production and risk management technologies.
Climate Smart Village (CSV): It is an institutional approach to test, implement, modify, and promote CSA at the local level and to enhance farmers' abilities to adapt to climate change. CSVs were piloted in two states of India: Karnal district of Haryana state and Vaishali district of Bihar state, which later spread into the districts of Punjab, Andhra Pradesh, and
Karnataka.
Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojna (PKVY): It is an extended component of Soil Health Management (SHM) launched in 2015 under NMSA with the objective of supporting and promoting organic farming through adoption of organic village by cluster approach, which in turn results in improvement of soil health.
Biotech-KISAN: It is a scientist-farmer partnership scheme launched in 2017 for agriculture innovation with an objective to connect science laboratories with the farmers to find out innovative solutions and technologies to be applied at farm level. Under this scheme, so far 146 Biotech-KISAN Hubs have been established covering all 15 agroclimatic zones and 110 aspirational districts in the country.
Sub-Mission on Agro-forestry: This Mission was launched during 2016-17 with the objective of planting trees on farm bunds. Agro-forestry has the potential to bring sustainability in agriculture and also achieving the optimum productivity by mitigating the impact of climate change.
National Livestock Mission: This Mission was initiated by the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare and got commenced from 2014-15 focusing mainly on livestock development through sustainable approach ultimately protecting the natural environment, ensuring bio-security, conserving animal bio-diversity and farmers' livelihood.

Conclusion:

Sustainable agriculture is crucial for addressing food security and environmental concerns and it requires a comprehensive overhaul of the entire production cycle.
The Indian government has assessed the impact of climate change on agriculture and implemented interventions and contingency plans. Fertilizer and agroforestry policies promote sustainable practices, reduce emissions and improve adaptation.