Farmers have struggled to cope with the circumstances enforced by their region's environment since agriculture's origin. Still, current human-caused changes in climate are tossing them some unanticipated bumps in the road. Real impacts include intense temperatures, floods, droughts, hail, and windstorms. Besides severely depleted soils and water constraints, there are fluctuations in weed species and distribution, as well as infectious disease and pest challenges.
Thankfully, there are numerous techniques that farm owners may implement and modifications that can be implemented in our agricultural industry to make it more robust to climate change, just like the Mahindra Tractor that can offer you the ultimate experience in different farming and other commercial-related activities.
What Statistics and Figures Has to Say?
The shocking statistics have also revealed that:
- According to a recent Nature and Climate Change Research, warming temperatures have impacted worldwide agriculture production by 21% since 1961.
- At the same time, food production accounts for one-third of global greenhouse gas emissions. It has a significant role in biodiversity loss.
- According to the Food and Land Use Alliance, we need an average of $350 billion yearly to make agriculture methods more environmentally friendly and resilient.
But the question is how new or existing farmers can address these extreme climate conditions in India. Let's see how.
The Techniques & Strategies Indian Farmers Can Adopt to Combat Climate Change
As we tackle the difficulties, these strategies will help build resilience in fields and our food production.
Effective Irrigation Management
Water conservation is critical for any farmer, especially during times of droughts. However, because groundwater pumping utilises a large percentage of energy on farmlands. It is approximated that agricultural irrigation in California uses up sufficient power to supply 1.5 billion homes. Irrigation efficiency is also essential for lowering fossil fuel consumption and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.
Nevertheless, water- and climate-conscious farmers can save water and minimise energy use by employing drip irrigation, cover crops, dry farming, and other techniques. Additionally, you can also opt for the reliable Swaraj Tractor for harvesting, cultivating, ploughing and performing other farming activities.
Plant Agroforestry Systems
Agroforestry is the planned integration of trees and crops in an ecosystem. Each plant in an agroecosystem is chosen for a specific reason; species are selected so that plants do not conflict but contribute. Because of the variety of crops and trees, the region is fruitful all year, allowing local farmers to earn money in all weather.
Agroforestry systems are an essential instrument for agricultural adaptation to changing climates. According to the working paper, agroforestry has adaptive capacity benefits for the local environment, such as decreasing the effects of the study's 5 kinds of severe weather conditions (drought, heatwaves, cold waves, heavy rain, and floods), enhancing soil and water accessibility, garnering pollinators, and making improvements in biodiversity.
Renewable Energy
Farms can lower their environmental footprint by improving energy efficiency and transitioning away from fossil fuels. It can involve using renewable energy on-farm, like wind turbines and solar energy systems, lowering the usage of petroleum-based fertilizers and pesticides, and decreasing reliance on fossil fuel inputs for agricultural production, preservation, and distribution.
Better Water Management
Farmers are starting to optimise their irrigation practises with a blend of different tech levels as water becomes limited. For example, drip and sprinkler irrigation systems deployed over 23,000 acres of agricultural land in Pakistan have substantially reduced water use, benefiting over 12,000 streams.
Conversely, rice growers rotate while watering multiple rice fields instead of keeping a consistent water flow. Growers have used 38% less water as a result.
CGIAR assists communities in many nations in cleaning and repurposing wastewater to make do with restricted resources while decreasing pollution.
Organic Practices
Since the mid-twentieth century, agricultural modernization has resulted in extensive reliance on petroleum-based insecticides, pesticides, and fertilizers in traditional agriculture. However, most chemical inputs are prohibited in organic farming, resulting in lower GHG emissions and healthier land, water, and food.
Additionally, environmentally conscious and organic farming techniques provide farmers various benefits, such as greater soil health and fertility, contributing to further climate-friendly consequences.
Rainwater Harvesting
Harnessing rainfall is a cost-effective means of obtaining water in drought-stricken regions. This additional source of moisture conserves water while needing extra resources to function rainwater storage tanks. Nevertheless, the achievement is negative because collected rainwater may induce dips in groundwater levels, affecting the ecosystem equilibrium.
Enhancing Soil Health
Carbon farming is a key group of environmentally friendly practices that can mitigate and even counteract the impacts of global warming. Plants act as carbon sinks by absorbing carbon dioxide (CO2) from the environment through photosynthesis. Around 40% of that carbon is subsequently stored in the soil, where microorganisms like bacteria, fungi, protozoa, and nematodes consume it.
In exchange, these organisms provide the mineral nutrients that plants require, acting as natural fertilisers. In addition, farms can help with carbon sequestration by growing organic material and improving soil quality through composting, sowing cover crops, and no-till farming.
So, What Crucial Steps Are Farmers Taking Minimise the Impact of Climate Change?
Landowners and farmers are already responding to our environmental changes by modifying crop selections and scheduling field activities. In addition, several farm owners are boosting pesticide application rates to combat rising pest pressure.
A number of the activities commonly linked to environmentally friendly agriculture can also assist in strengthening the agricultural system's tolerance to the effects of the overwhelming climate change, such as:
- Crop rotation diversification
- Combining livestock and crop production methods
- Increasing soil quality by reducing off-farm nutrient and pesticide flows
- Putting in place more effective irrigation practises
Final Thoughts
Climate change poses a significant challenge to farmers throughout the world. Agriculture relies heavily on excellent weather, including temperature extremes, rainfall, wind speed, and other factors. According to estimates, climate change is expected to diminish global agricultural productivity by 17% by 2050.
Farming climate change adaptation is a wise strategy that benefits the ecosystem, but it also helps the industry, investment firms, and insurance firms. For example, unpredictable weather risk reduction is critical for financial companies working with agribusiness loans and insurance firms, as it reduces risk losses and improves loan payback.
It is time to make relevant changes to fight unpredictable weather conditions by adapting sustainable strategies and policies.