While climate change is responsible for crop failures, the agricultural sector itself is partly responsible for extreme weather events. Discuss. What strategy has been adopted under National Agriculture Disaster Management Plan to strengthen the resilience of the farming community in India?

Extreme weather events like heat waves, cyclones, flood are increased due to climate change (IPCC AR6) leading to cropfailure - Erratic rainfall leads to drought leading to low crop production (>50% of area depended on rainfall) - New diseases - blights & rots as seen in coffee & cotton - Productivity of crops decreases due to increased sea levels (Ex Jute in West Bengal)

Agriculture is responsible for extreme weather events →

(1) Increased droughts due to groundwater depletion (63% decrease in a decade) due to dependence on water intensive cropping.

(2) Carbon emissions because of reckless use of pumps, irrigation due to electricity subsidies.

(3) Methane emissions due to waterlogging & animal rearing in rice production leads to global warming and heat waves.

(4) Soil pollution due to excessive use of pesticides, fertilisers that have contaminated the soil & water; & increased salinity.

(5) Floods due to eutrophication of lakes/rivers due to increased agricultural waste being drained.

(6) stubble burning responsible for >50% of PM 2.5 concentration in Delhi leading to air pollution.

diagram

• Strategy adopted under National Agriculture Disaster Management
  • sustainable agriculture practices with focus on low emission of GHG
  • Crop diversification to focus on climate friendly crops like millets
  • Judicious use of fertilisers to reduce the groundwater & soil contamination
  • practices of waste to wealth, Composting and ZBNF has been outlined in lines with National Mission for sustainable Agriculture
  • Regulation on water use with drip irrigation, PMKSY and microirrigation
  • Natural ways for pest control, locust control with biopesticides