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 Using machines which sow rice directly, devices to inform when to
irrigate and phone messages warning of infestations, thousands of
farmers are learning to adapt to climate change, boost soil
fertility and reduce their carbon emissions.
"At first, many farmers were unsure. It's a big risk to change the
way you have farmed for decades and try new things. Agriculture in
these parts is not just a livelihood, it's a way of life," said
Harpreet Singh, 36, a farmer in the village of Birnaraya, 130 km (80
miles) north of Delhi.
"But over the last four years, through these technologies, we have
learnt to save water and fertilisers, cut our costs for hired labor,
improved the resilience of our crops and also reduced pollution by
not burning crop residues."
Singh is from one of 12,000 farming households across 27 villages in
Haryana's Karnal district working with scientists from the
Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) to
pilot climate smart techniques aimed at sustaining one of the
country's most fertile belts.
SAVING INDIA'S BREADBASKET
Since India's so-called "Green Revolution" - a massive government
program rolled out in the 1960s and 1970s which increased the use of
fertilisers and irrigation to boost farm output - Haryana's rice
production has soared to almost 4 million tonnes in 2013/14 compared
to 334,000 tonnes in 1966/67.
But while the Green Revolution may be credited with ending famine
across the country, it has come at a cost and, coupled with more
unpredictable weather attributed to global warming, India's food
security is once again at risk.
Almost half a century on, farmers face environmental problems such
as depleted groundwater because of intensive pumping for irrigation,
soil degradation and soil salinity.
"Resources are depleting. Groundwater levels are falling, there is
emerging climate variability, the soil health is worsening, and
profitability is going down," said M.L. Jat, an agronomist with the
International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT).
The Indo-Gangetic Plains - which include the rice and wheat states
of Haryana and Punjab - are particularly vulnerable to climate
change, say experts from the U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate
Change (IPCC).
Scientists predict average temperatures here to increase by as much
as five degrees Celsius by 2080, seriously affecting wheat crops. An
April study by the Indian Agricultural Research Institute projects
climate change may reduce India's wheat yield by between 6 to 23
percent by 2050.
Rice will also be hit due to unpredictable rainfall. Indian
officials say the water table has fallen between one and 13 meters
in different parts of Karnal over the last two decades.
The region, which is heavily dependent on migrant labor from poorer
states, is also facing shortages due to a government scheme to
employ more people in construction near their homes.
"HAPPY SEEDERS"
In response to these challenges, agricultural groups are introducing
Karnal's farmers to a host of climate smart technologies.
These include techniques such as direct seeding which involves
sowing seeds by machines rather than transplanting manually, which
reduces labor and water.
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Other new technology includes Lazer Levellers - tractor-towed,
laser-controlled devices - that produce a flat surface for
cultivation, requiring 25 to 30 percent less water.
Farmers are being introduced to tools such as "Happy Seeders" which
can be attached to the back of tractors. These remove crop residues,
blending them into the soil, preventing the practice of burning crop
residues that has led to increased emissions and depleted soil
fertility.
"We didn't know anything about these advanced technology machines
before," said Manoj Kumar Munjal, 40, who farms a 20-acre plot of
land in Taorori village.
"We have learnt about these machines and set up a cooperative where
we all put in the money together and bought machines and share them.
Now everyone is using it."
Farmers are also receive voice messages giving weather forecasts,
informing of new seed varieties and infestations.
EXPENSIVE TECHNOLOGIES
But these technologies do not come cheap. A Lazer Leveller, for
example, costs more than $6,000.
In villages such as Munjal's, farmers have clubbed together to buy
new machinery, while in others, one farmer invests in the hardware
and rents it out to others.
CGIAR said a similar project is underway in the eastern state of
Bihar using lower cost techniques on smaller plots.
On his sprawling 90-acre farm, Harpreet Singh crouched down amongst
his rice paddy stalks and checked his tensiometer, a device planted
in the ground to measure moisture content.
Singh said over the last four years, his income has increased by 15
percent due to savings made on electricity for irrigation, diesel
for residue burning, labor and fertilisers. But it is the saving on
water which satisfies him the most.
"Day by day, the ground water levels are going down and down. If we
continue like this, its only a matter of time before we don't have
water to drink, let alone to farm," he said.
(Editing by Ros Russell; Please credit Thomson Reuters Foundation,
the charitable arm of Thomson Reuters, that covers humanitarian
news, women’s rights, corruption and climate change. Visit
www.trust.org)
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