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Punjab and Haryana’s farmers’ obsession with unsustainable big cereals wheat and paddy has begun to hurt, as returns diminish. This was the hottest March and April in 122 years. The country’s northern and central regions are reeling from heat waves, which is temperatures of 45 degrees Celsius and more. The climate crisis has caused a decrease in the yield of harvested crops by as much as 25% due to high temperatures. Temperature rise has reduced the yield of wheat grain and other Rabi crops, causing low yields and raising concerns among farmers about their just-sown pulse crops.
According to a report tabled in parliament by the parliamentary standing committee on agriculture in August 2017, “the climate change is expected to reduce rice production by 6 to 8 per cent by 2022.” One degree Celsius rise in minimum or maximum temperatures during cropping season could decrease the yield by 8 to 10 per cent.
Agro-scientists reveal that the “average rise in temperature during the past 100 years was 0.75-degree Celsius, which would be 1.5 to 4.5 degrees Celsius in the next 100 years, which would adversely affect the crop pattern and threat to human life and ecosystem”.
Agriculture has become a major factor in the climate crisis without the support of farmers. It currently generates 19–29 per cent of total greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. This is due to the inability of other sectors to reduce their emissions and lack of awareness. One-third of all food globally is lost or wasted. To help reach climate goals and reduce stress on the environment, it is important to address food waste and loss.
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Natural resources, including soils, water, and biodiversity, are stretched dangerously thin while Haryana and Punjab propelled India’s Green Revolution five decades ago, rescuing millions from hunger but the gains are fast eroding.
Climate-Smart Agriculture (CSA) is a sustainable solution that aims to increase productivity and provide a decent income. Second, it aims to increase innovation and adaptability. Third, it aims at reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
Overuse of fertilizers, water, and pesticides
The implementation of the Food Security Act has brought the country back to Punjab. But Punjab farmers need to protect their soil and water, diversify their agriculture, and explore agro-processing in order to reach the global markets. It is essential for sustainable agricultural development and a safe environment.
Indian farmers take about 5400 litres of water to grow one kg of rice, five times as much China uses, pointing to the state’s low water productivity and that’s why 131 of the 148 blocks in Punjab are overexploited. Groundwater extraction rates in Paddy are 165 percent, an increase of 16 percentage points over the last eight years. Nearly 14 lakh shallow tube water wells are digging deeper each year. The central and northern districts of Punjab are severely water depleted. South-western districts are subject to waterlogging, soil salinity, or alkalinity. Fazilka Fazilka, Bathinda, Faridkot and Fazilka from the Malwa region are all known for being severely degraded. The Central Ground Water Board put out a dire warning- ‘at the current rate of water extraction, Punjab would be a desert within the next quarter-century.’
Indian farmers take about 5400 litres of water to grow one kg of rice, five times as much China uses, pointing to the state’s low water productivity and that’s why 131 of the 148 blocks in Punjab are overexploited.
A typical farmer in irrigated areas uses 3.5 times as many pesticides and fertilisers today than they did in 1970 to achieve the same output. Despite Punjab having only 1.5 percent of India’s total land area, it still uses around 19% of India’s total pesticides. The Malwa region’s south-western districts consume about 75% of the pesticides used by Punjab state. Pesticides can cause serious health and environmental problems. Studies have shown that pesticide residues can be found in milk, fruits, or vegetables.
Ironically, 78% of pesticides, fertilisers, and herbicides are lost to nature, causing soil, water, and air pollution. The soils in Punjab have also become deficient for micronutrients. Consequently, input-intensive agriculture has made us calorie-secure, According to the National Family Health Survey (NFHS)-4, “ 57 per cent of women and 36 per cent of children under the age of five in the Malwa region are stunted and anaemic.”
Missing Centre and State Support
To solve their multi-dimensional crisis, farmers need a decent living wage. Sustainable agriculture could be the answer. The Council on Energy, Environment and Water identified 16 sustainable agricultural practices (SAPs) as of 2016. These include organic farming, integrated farm systems, agroforestry, and precision farming. These could be economically profitable, socially inclusive, and environmentally benign. Only a few states are leading this revolution. Sikkim is an organic state at 100 percent, while Andhra Pradesh seeks natural farming at 100 percent by 2027.
Sustainable agriculture is still marginalized and only 4% of farmers have adopted any one practice. The Centre receives limited support. India’s National Mission on Sustainable Agriculture receives only 0.8% of the agricultural budget of Rs 1.42 trillion. Punjab has never been capable of implementing a plan for crop diversification. The absence of state support hinders the mainstreaming sustainable agriculture.
The Way Forward
In the years ahead, farmers will be more vulnerable due to higher ambient temperatures and less predictable rainfalls. In a changing climate, could sustainable agriculture help increase farm incomes and ensure food security? How can it be scaled up?
Climate-smart agriculture (CSA) is an integrated approach to managing landscapes—cropland, livestock, forests and fisheries—that addresses the interlinked challenges of food security and accelerating climate change. Integrated agriculture can provide additional nutritious food while preserving the production of grains. It can enable a greater variety of crops from staples to high value crops, fruit and vegetable, dairy, poultry and fisheries.
India should not be subsidizing fertiliser and power with input-based subsidies, but instead incentivize outcomes like a higher annual nutrition output per hectare and an improved ecosystem such as water conservation or reversed desertification. Outcome-based support can encourage innovation among farmers and encourage the adoption of other approaches. It is crucial to compare the outcomes of climate crises with regularity in order to protect farm income, nutrition security, natural resources, and farm decent income.
The author is the former Vice Chairman, Punjab Planning Board, and Chairman, ASSOCHAM Northern Region Development Council. The author’s views do not reflect the opinions of this publication.
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