India looks to sow more climate-resilient crops as it braces for more heatwaves, water crises
Between 2015 and 2021, India lost nearly 70 million hectares of crops to either heat or water stress.
by Ishan Garg · CNA · JoinNEW DELHI: The world’s second-largest producer of rice and wheat is now sowing the seeds of climate-resilient crops.
India is among the biggest global exporters of both staple grains, while its agrifood sector also feeds its own population of 1.4 billion people.
But much of that is becoming tougher as climate change leads to more frequent and intense heatwaves and water crises.
The nation is now developing high-yield crop varieties that can better withstand harsh weather events – a move that experts have welcomed.
“(These crops have) thicker leaves so they can sort of sustain droughts … (a better) physiological structure so that they can sustain the attack of cyclones,” noted Apoorve Khandelwal, senior programme lead at the New Delhi-based think tank Council on Energy, Environment and Water.
Between 2015 and 2021, India lost nearly 70 million hectares of crops to either heat or water stress.
The government estimates that climate change could reduce yields for rainfed rice and wheat by around 20 per cent come 2050. This is set to rise to 40 per cent by 2080.
NEARLY 1,900 VARIETIES DEVELOPED
In August, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi released 109 high-yield, climate-resilient and nutritionally dense varieties of 61 crops at an event at capital New Delhi’s India Agricultural Research Institute.
The new field crops include pulses, oilseeds, forage, sugar and fibre crops, while the horticultural ones include fruits, vegetables, tubers, spices, plantation crops and flowers.
Overall, the government said it has developed nearly 1,900 of such varieties since 2014.
These crops are distributed to farmers in India, who then must be convinced to switch from the crops they are familiar with to the ones the government hopes they will grow.
While the move promises to be a game changer, it comes with a hefty price tag.
India is allocating US$32 billion to the agriculture sector, but nearly three-quarters of that is earmarked for welfare measures and subsidies. It is also unclear how much of the remaining share will go to crop research.
Khandelwal noted: "If we look at what is being spent towards development and deployment of climate-resilient seeds or climate-resilient agriculture practices, the expenditure is miniscule as compared to (subsidies). It’s this disparity which is more worrisome.”
German pharmaceutical and biotech giant Bayer also hopes to complement government crop breeding efforts with climate-resilient farming practices and technology.
It is partnering with an Indian government agency to use drones that can monitor crops and spray pesticide.
For example, Bayer is looking to encourage farmers to use a direct seeding rice machine instead of manually transplanting crops. It says this can reduce water use by up to 30 to 40 per cent, and cut greenhouse gas emissions by up to 45 per cent.
As India braces for a more unpredictable climate future, the hope is that public-private partnerships like these can better prepare the agriculture sector for that uncertainty.
There are also hopes that they can help to sustain the livelihood of farmers, as well as the billions across the world who depend on agriculture for food.
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