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Climate Change Impact on Agriculture

Climate Change Impact on Agriculture

Source: PIB
GS III: Conservation, environmental pollution and degradation, environmental impact assessment


What you should know?

  1. About Climate Change Impact on Agriculture
  2. Impacts on Various Agri Products
  3. Challenges that the agriculture sector

Why in the News?

National Innovations on Climate Resilient Agriculture (NICRA), a network project of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) conducted an assessment to evaluate the impact of climate change on agriculture.

About Climate Change Impact on Agriculture

  • Almost 109 districts are categorized as very highly and 201 districts as highly vulnerable.
  • Various projections based on crops to reduce
    • Rice yields by 20% in 2050 and 47% in 2080.
    • Irrigated rice yields by 3.5% in 2050 and 5% in 2080 scenarios.
    • Wheat yield by 19.3% in 2050 and 40% in 2080 scenarios.
    • Kharif maize yields by 18 to 23% in 2050 and 2080 scenarios.
    • Soybean yields are projected to increase by 3-10% in 2030 and 14% in 2080 scenarios.
  • Climate change reduces crop yields and lowers the nutritional quality of produce.
Impacts on Various Agri Products

  • Crops
    • Ambient CO2 is beneficial which helps in increased photosynthesis.
    • Major cereal crops, such as wheat, are expected to yield less due to shorter crop growth periods, increased respiration, and reduced rainfall or irrigation caused by rising atmospheric temperatures.
    • Quality of food produce like fruits, vegetables, tea and coffee, are declining.
  • Water
    • Irrigation demands increased temperature impact the lowering of groundwater level. 
    • Decreased water in the Ganges and Brahmaputra regions. 
    • Increased frequency of floods and soil erosion. 
  • Soils
    • A rise in sea level may lead to salt-water ingress.
    • Changes in rainfall volume frequency and wind intensity may alter the severity, frequency and
      extent of soil erosion.
  • Fishery
    • Due to higher sea surface temperature Coral bleaching is increasing. 
    • Increasing sea and river water temperature is likely to affect fish breeding, migration, and harvest.
Challenges that the agriculture sector

  • Water availability is a result of changing rainfall patterns, alteration in stream flow and increase in crop water demand.
  • Deterioration of water quality due to seawater intrusion, transport of salts from the deeper soil layers as a result of over-exploitation of aquifers and faulty irrigation practices.
  • Increased frequency and intensity of extreme weather events such as droughts, floods and cyclones would affect the production levels more than the impact of mean changes in the climate.
  • Heat stress is due to higher temperature at a critical stage of crop growth.
  • Unpredictable change in pest and disease load.

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