Climate Change in India: Policies and Actions on Adaptation

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1 Climate Change in India: Policies and Actions on Adaptation Dr.A.K.Singh Deputy Director General (NRM) Indian Council of Agricultural Research New Delhi Paper presented at the Indo China Workshop on National Action Plans on Climate Change of India and China, New Delhi 21 st Oct 2009

2 Key issues in Agriculture under climate change scenario in India Increased temperature, heat waves and cold waves directly affecting the crop performance Extreme rainfall events causing more droughts, floods which reduce crop yields and indirectly affect water availability for agriculture Inundation of coastal areas with sea water Increased incidence of pests and diseases Rapid oxidation of soil organic carbon and its effect on soil fertility

3 Impacts on Crop Production

4 Significant change likely on key parameters with business as usual scenario Year Season Temperature Change ( o C) Rainfall Change (%) Lowest Highest Lowest Highest 2020s Annual Rabi Kharif s Annual Rabi Kharif s Annual Rabi Kharif Source : Lal M, 2001, Current Science 81, 1205

5 Crop water requirements to rise: crop duration to decrease (eg. AP in India) Station Crop Increase in water requirement in mm ( ) Reduction in crop duration (weeks) Anakapalli Maize Groundnut Anantapur Groundnut Red gram Jagityal Cotton Maize Rajendranagar Red gram Groundnut Tirupathi Groundnut Prasad Rao et al, 2008

6 Projected impacts quite complex depending on Combination of factors (eg. Maize in India) Climate change scenario Good year Bad year Normal year Maize yield % deviation Maize yield % deviation Maize yield % deviation No climate change Increase in maximum temperature along by 1 o C Uniform increase in both maximum and minimum temperatures by 1 o C Increase in CO 2 level to 450 ppm Increase in CO 2 level to 450 ppm + increase in both maximum and minimum temperatures by 1 o C Increase in precipitation by 10% Increase in CO 2 level to 450 ppm + Uniform increase in both maximum and minimum temperatures by 1 o C + increase in precipitation by 10% Prasad Rao et al, 2008

7 Interactive effects of different factors on simulated wheat yield (eg.gujarat, India) CERES model Temperature ( o C) and SAR (MJ m 2 day -1 ) and CO 2 (Base value 330 ppm) Simulated grain yield (kg ha -1 ) % Change from base optimal (3837 kg ha -1 ) and sub optimal (3112 kg ha -1 ) yield 440 ppm Optimal Sub-optimal Optimal Sub-optimal ppm

8 Contd Temperature ( o C) and SAR (MJ m 2 day -1 ) and CO 2 (Base value 330 ppm) Simulated grain yield (kg ha -1 ) % Change from base optimal (3837 kg ha -1 ) and sub optimal (3112 kg ha -1 ) yield 660 ppm Optimal Sub-optimal Optimal Sub-optimal Pandey et al, 2007, J. of Agrometeorol, 9, 149

9 Crop season has strong influence on impact level (eg. Paddy in Tamil Nadu), INFOCROP Githalakshmi and Dheebakaran, 2008

10 Climate change increases pest incidence through more feeding, larval growth and increased larval duration larval weight(g) Days after initiation 550ppm 700ppm Chamber Ambient Source, CRIDA, Hyderabad, India

11 Adaptation Measures

12 Adaptation strategies to match with the Impacts Direct effects Reduction in duration of crops Modification in reproductive physiology and yield Strategy Targeted Conventional Breeding and use of biotech tools including MAS Bioinformatics Indirect effects Decline in water resources Increased pests and disease incidence Loss of soil organic C Conservation and efficient use of water IPM and IDM Conservation farming

13 Crop/Cropping System Based Technologies

14 Crop Based Approaches Crops and varieties that fit into new cropping systems and seasons Development of varieties with changed duration Varieties for high temperature, drought, inland salinity and submergence tolerance Crops and varieties that tolerate coastal salinity and sea water inundation Varieties which respond to high CO2 Varieties with high fertilizer and radiation use efficiency

15 The importance of germplasm Wild and extant varieties could have traits tolerant to high temperature/elevated CO 2 etc. Might have been discarded in the past due to low yield potential Can be made use as parents for breeding of tolerant varieties to climate change Need for revisiting gene banks with a view to search for unique traits required for climate change Indigenous knowledge and farmers wisdom has immense value

16 Short duration drought tolerant cultivars : Answer to reduced duration due to climate change Location Crop Variety Duration Varanasi Rice Pigeonpea Vandana T Phulbani Pigeonpea T Arjia Maize Surya Anantapur Groundnut Vemana Indore Soybean JS Rewa Rice Kalinga Akola Cotton AKH Bijapur Sunflower KBSH Solapur Sorghum Mauli Hisar Pearlmillet HHB Bangalore Fingermillet GPU Source: CRIDA, Hyderabad, India

17 Source : CRIDA

18 Intercropping - the best way to Adapt to climate change by small holders

19 Crop-Crop Diversity for adapting to increased pest incidence Creation of crop diversity by the introduction of another crop is known as crop- crop diversity The insitu culturing of natural enemies lead to reduction of insect pests in diversified crop conditions. Sorghum, groundnut and blackgram as intercrops with pigeonpea: Cluster bean, cowpea and greengram with castor reduced the incidence of the insect pests. These results can go as component of Low External input IPM modules Effect of intercropping on Coccinellids 1.2 Population/plant SDP sole SDP+S SDP+G SDP+C MDP sole MDP+S MDP+G MDP+C LDP sole LDP+S LDP+G LDP+C Standard weeks

20 Agro-forestry systems to provide more stable incomes CRIDA during years of extreme weather events Neem + Cowpea Faidherbia Albida+Sorghum Guava + stylo Mango + Greengram

21 Shelter belts for moderating micro climate. Shelter belts reduce wind velocity Moderate temperature Reduce evaporative loss and conserve soil moisture

22 Cost effective technologies to protect from cold wave and frost Protecting young seedlings against cold by covering with straw thatching Protecting mango against frost through smoke by burning semi dry biomass

23 Resource Conservation Based Technologies

24 Strategies for Efficient Management of Soil, Water and Nutrients Land use based on land capability In situ moisture conservation Rainwater harvesting and recycling Efficient use of irrigation water Conservation agriculture Energy efficiency in agriculture and irrigation Use of poor quality water

25 Zero-Tillage Improved Productivity at Less Cost Saves Rs.2500/ha in bed preparation Early sowing improves wheat yield by 5-15% Saves water (25-30 %) Reduce Phalaris minor (40-50 %) Ensures timely planting Economic benefits of using zero tillage technology from 2000 to 2004 Year Area (million ha) Savings (Rs. in million) Total ( ) Source: NATP, Irrigated Ecosystem

26 Bed Planting: A Water-Wise Technology Conventional Raised Bed planting % Saving in irrigation water Opportunity for crop diversification Suitable for mechanical weeding & reduces herbicide use Source: NATP Irrigated Ecosystem

27 Zero tillage relevant in Peninsular India also Warangal (AP) 10 farmers Normal Maize Zero Till Maize Seed rate 7 kg/acre 5kg/acre Cost of cultivation including shelling 5500 Rs/acre 4200 Rs/acre Yield 17 q/acre 20 q/acre Economic returns Rs/acre Rs/acre Profit 6400 Rs/acre 9800 Rs/acre Source : NAIP, CRIDA

28 Managing sea water intrusion in coastal areas : Doruvu/Kottai technology Traditional system Shallow pond More land required, Less water stored Less water for pumping Manually irrigated Small area covered Improved system Deep (upto 20 ft) open well Horizontal flow of under ground water enabled in to the well through pipes More water stored, small land required More water to pump and irrigate crops

29 On farm water harvesting On Farm Reservoir (OFR) technology in Chhattisgarh, Orissa and Jharkhand created major impact on drought management during kharif The Government of Chhattisgarh included this technology in the drought relief programme Ridges and furrows system in cotton in vertisols. Additional yield of 500 kg/ha over farmers practice (In situ moisture conservation and drainage) Source : NATP, CRIDA

30 SRI a water saving method Attribute SRI Non SRI Effective Tillers/Total 31/32 12/13 Grains/Panicle Yield(t/ha) Cost of cultivation(rs) 15578* *includes costs of weeder & marker SRI method Traditional method

31 Integrated Nutrient Management to reduce emissions in paddy Treatment Rice yield t/ha Denitrification Losses kg/ha N 2 O Emissions kg/ha Nitrate Leaching kg/ha Soil Organic-C g/kg Control kg N/ha GM kg N/ha CR 6 +GM kg N/ha LSD (0.05) CR: Crop residue, GM: Green manure Source : CRRI, Cuttak

32 Farming systems approach as a tool for risk mitigation in drought prone areas Type of farming system No.of households % of Households Net income (Rs.) per household Only agriculture ,400 Agriculture + Vegetable cultivation ,330 Agriculture + milch animals I Jowar+Castor+Cow ,300 ii.jowar+castor+buffalo ,750 iii.castor + Cow ,325 iv.castor + buffalo ,775 Source : CRIDA, village studies Nallavelli in Telangana region of AP, India

33 Policy initiatives to felicitate adaptation to climate change in India

34 LAND USE Afforestation of untapped land resources for enhanced carbon sequestration Policy on incentives like input subsidies, premium for appropriate and judicious land use in view of regional and local climate variations. WATER Policy on reduction of conveyance loss in minor and medium irrigation projects for efficient use of available water in larger areas. Discouraging cultivation of high water consuming crops in coastal areas. Policy to focus promoting increased farm level storage capacity of water. Demand side management of waters resources through collective/cooperative sharing with better incentives than the one given to individuals. Incentives to on farm harvesting in farm ponds promoting convergence with NREGA, RKVY and other programs

35 CROPS AND CROPPING SYSTEMS Incentives for good agriculture practices like low tillage, residue management, cover crops etc., that promotes carbon sequestration and reduce emission of GHGs. Policy shift from area based fertilizer recommendation to site specific nutrient management. Incentives and subsidies for conservation agriculture practices in potential regions like deep soils and double cropping. Fiscal incentives to adopting INM and organic agricultural practices. Development of suitable crop/cropping systems for changing climate scenarios. Policy on regionally oriented extensive crop and biodiversity cataloguing and conservation including insect-pests, pathogen, weed, and beneficial organisms.

36 Contd Establishment of seed banks of contingency crops at district levels. Regulatory frame work to prevent movement of pest, pathogen and weeds from low to high risk zones under crop/cropping systems of changed climate regions. Specific international funds for agricultural adaptation need to be identified that are additional to existing development assistance. Strengthening the research capabilities and infrastructure to forecast vulnerability, outbreaks and transboundary movements of key pests and developing adaptation strategies Adopting energy saving agricultural practices, changing livestock diet and improving manure and slurry storage.

37 ENERGY MANAGEMENT AND BIOFUELS Promotion of Multi-Purpose Tree Species (MPTS) into mitigation policies and programmes such as the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) to promote carbon capture. Environmental and socially applicable schemes and policies on biofuels to promote a balanced trade-off ensuring functional resilience of the ecosystem.

38 SOCIO-ECONOMIC ISSUES Redesigning social sector schemes with focus on vulnerable areas/ populations to promote new crops and markets Policies to support environmentally friendly forms of agricultural production to reduce GHG emissions. Greater use of market-based instruments such as risk-based insurance for floods and droughts. Characterization of bio-physical and socio-economic resources utilizing GIS and remote sensing to identify vulnerable areas Policy frame work for Precision agriculture and crop, region and season based decision support systems Micro level data on climate, crop and soil for timely preparation of contingency plans

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