Farming in the times of climate change

Madhu Verma and Parul Sharma

Traditionally, the collective measures to ensure that India attains its objective of becoming a low-carbon economy has primarily focused on cutting emissions in the energy and power sectors.

However, the net zero target cannot be achieved without addressing emissions in other vital sectors such as agriculture which continues to involve the biggest share of the Indian population — around 60 per cent.

Also, Indian agriculture accounts for 14% of the total greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Farming, a source of livelihood for a significant population of India’s rural poor, is extremely vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. More than 80% of farmers fall in the small and marginal category, owning less than two hectares of land. For them, the impacts are exacerbated.

Hence, it is crucial for a country to balance strategies and approaches to decarbonising agriculture in a country like India, where farming can do more harm than good.

Agricultural practices in India need to be more aligned with the nationally determined contributions (NDCs) under the Paris climate agreement, which focus on reducing emissions intensity of the gross domestic product or the GDP (greenhouse gas emissions emitted for every unit of GDP) by 45%, in order to achieve the net zero target by 2070.

To achieve this, we need to move away from conventional approaches, which view agricultural land in terms of per-hectare yield, to a more systems-based approach that considers ecosystem benefits derived from the land and the principles of a circular economy.

Agriculture should be viewed both as a source and sink for carbon emissions, as it has the capacity to both emit and sequester carbon. Livestock, which is a major contributor to methane emissions in India, is also a source of income among the rural poor, contributing to 31 per cent of the gross value added in agriculture and allied sectors including livestock, poultry and fisheries.

In Agri-food systems, which cover complex systems across the value chain covering crop production, harvesting, fishing, livestock-rearing, storing, transporting, selling, consuming and disposing of food. In the Indian agriculture scenario, livestock is an integral part of the social and cultural fabric, with multiple uses for food, farm inputs, transport, etc.

As emissions estimates are based mostly on industrial livestock, we need to also consider scenarios that reflect the small farm holdings and the complex role of livestock in developing economies. The data generated from such scenarios will help to better assess emissions situation in India and similar geographies.

The 2022-23 Budget has called for a shift from chemical farming to nature-positive farming, which relies on organic and locally available inputs. Nature-based solutions that protect, sustainably manage, and restore ecosystems can help effectively and adaptively address the challenges of this shift, benefiting people and nature simultaneously.

Agro-ecological practices that recognise the true value of the ecosystem and work in alignment with the ecology, economy and society are the way forward. Practices such as mulching, intercropping, and preparing fertilisers from cow dung enrich the quality and carbon content of soil. Healthy soils help mitigate climate change by storing carbon and decreasing greenhouse gas emissions.

Climate-smart practices create important synergies for agricultural production, climate adaptation and mitigation, and livelihood and environmental objectives, through coordinated action at the level of the farm as well as the landscape. An important feature of climate-smart agriculture is that it takes into consideration the local agro-ecology. India has several agro-ecological zones, so a one-size-fits-all solution could lead to ecological harm. Rather, unique solutions that are best suited to the region should be adopted. Technological innovation is a key factor in making a food system sustainable. Techniques such as precision agriculture can help achieve efficiency in resource use, and can help farmers practise agriculture efficiently and sustainably.

Diversifying from traditional monoculture can improve nutrition among farming communities and help the country become more self-reliant in crop production. Agroforestry, or planting trees at the perimeter of a field as a form of crop diversification, can not only enhance carbon sequestration potential but also help farmers generate additional income from the wood economy through farm forestry, bamboo cultivation etc. Other new modes of crop diversification are emerging too, such as millet production and food forestry.

Millets are climate-resilient and well suited to the agro-ecology of many Indian states, as they grow best in semi-arid regions. Millets were a major crop on the Indian subcontinent until the Green Revolution, after which they were replaced with paddy. Moving away from rice and wheat to millets can save the country 50 million tonnes of GHG emissions and 300 billion m3 of water annually by 2050, as per a report from Centre for Study of Science, Technology and Policy, Bengaluru.

Nature-positive and regenerative agriculture practices are important in reducing fertiliser dependency. Excessive use of chemical fertiliser over the last few decades has resulted in the depletion of important soil nutrients, leading to ecological imbalance. If farmers use natural alternatives, it will help reduce not only the ecosystem imbalance but also input costs. Alternatives include organic, natural, and pesticide-free farming.

There are several initiatives of organic and natural farming across the country where farms are being managed as sustainable landscapes reaping environmental benefits through the ecosystem services, such as soil improvement, biological pest control, pollination, and water flow. The pathway to low-carbon agriculture is through identifying opportunities across the value chain and ensuring fair distribution of benefits and costs among the stakeholders.

Providing a green premium to farmers and exploring other incentive-based mechanisms will help bridge the gap between chemical and nature-based farming. Consumer perception increasingly favours chemical-free farming, and good marketing helps farmers get a better return on organic produce.

Further, effective crop residue management mitigates emissions from burning of crop residue and creates additional revenue for farmers. With the Indian government promoting biomass fuel through schemes such as the Sustainable Alternative Towards Affordable Transportation (SATAT), farmers could gain an additional revenue stream.

Thus, a systems-based approach that follows the principles of a circular economy could go a long way in decarbonising agriculture in India.

Dr. Madhu Verma is Ex-Chief Economist and Parul Sharma is Ex-Lead Researcher at the Economics Center, WRI India. Consultant Gayatri Pande and intern Kaira Kuhu Naidu also contributed to this piece.