Climate change is a reality and the entire global community has reached a common consensus that it is occurring due to green house gas effect. If the same situation remains unchanged continuously, the temperature rise is expected to increase up to 6oC by the year 2100.
If this happens then adverse impacts will be experienced across the world but the agriculture sector will be among the worst affected as it is based on climate and other natural resources. These views were expressed on the weekend at the conclusion of four-day training on climate change and agriculture at ICAR-Indian Institute of Soil and Water Conservation in collaboration with MANAGE, Hyderabad.
Expressing this views during the training programme, the ICAR-IISWC director PK Mishra stressed on the need for adoption of technologies for the conservation of soil and water especially in view of the changing climatic scenario. Focus also needs to be laid on various other issues including the reduction of infiltration rate of water, raising the water table and reducing the erosion of the top soil. He also referring to other aspects including the utilisation of drought resistant, short duration, diseases and pest resistant varieties based on vulnerability of the cultivation area in question.
Addressing the participants on the occasion, the former deputy director general (Agriculture Extension) of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), P Das focused on aspects like the research activity focused on development of climate-smart adaptation research. He also elicited focus on similar smart adaptations citing global case studies to show such aspects in the sphere of electricity, carbon, weather, nitrogen, water and knowledge of the climate smart activities in villages. Making reference to the utilization of varied climate study tools at the village level, he also stressed on the importance of working out a water security plan for the
village.
Other speakers pointed out that global community has taken a decision to arrest the temperature rise by a maximum of up to 2oC. The Government of India has undertaken various interventions on a mission mode to mitigate the effects of climate change, averred the officials.
The training programme was attended by 32 officers from different state line departments of Agriculture, livestock, Fishery, Sericulture, KVK experts representing Gujarat, Punjab, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Karnataka, Puducherry, Chhattisgarh, Meghalaya, Maharashtra and scientists from ICAR-IISWC, Dehradun.
The training course was aimed at sensitising the participating officials on the importance and impact of climate change, mitigation and adaptation measures to address the climate change impact on agriculture and allied sectors. These officials in turn are expected to go back, observe and analyse what is happening in their locality and promote location specific adaptation strategies and prepare the farmers to cope with the impacts of climatic changes.
Institute officials state that varied issues related to climate change – importance and impact in agriculture, livestock, fishery, sericulture, water management; carbon credit and clean development mechanism; climate trend analysis and weather based agro advisory services, policies and programmes for climate change including contingency plan; participatory research and extension in dissemination of climate resilient technologies were covered by different experts.
The participants also visited the site of participatory water resource development and management at Kalimati in Dehradun district in addition to knowledge gained through interaction with farmers and resource persons.