Make Climate Change Central To Farm Laws

Context: Apart from focusing on agriculture marketing, Minimum Support Price (MSP) and corporatisation of agriculture, it is necessary to bring climate change implications into discussion of farm laws.

Threats due to climate change:

• Rise in maximum and minimum temperatures: an increase of 0.5 to 1°C and of 0.5 to 1.5°C, respectively, in 2010 (with respect to baseline 1971-2000).
  • Increase of 1 degree to 1.8°C in annual mean maximum temperature by 2021-50-IMD.
  • Stagnating or declining yield in Doab region (wheat bowl) due to increase in winter temperatures.
• Variation in rainfall patterns and water availability: After 2050s, water flows will decrease due to reduced precipitation of snow and, consequently, lesser glacial melt flow.
  • Increase of 13.3 to 21.5% in annual precipitation by the mid-century (with respect to 1961-90).
  • Water availability is projected to increase due to increased glacial melt and precipitation.
• Increase in carbon dioxide level: would result into decline in productivity of rice by up to 9.6% with a temperature rise between 0.5 to 2°C, while wheat yields could dip by 4.6% to 32%.

Impact of agriculture on climate change:

• Over-exploitation of groundwater resources: due to green revolution led water-intensive cropping, technology dissemination, chemicalisation and mechanisation.
• Problem of stubble burning: has added to concerns around air pollution locally and in the region.
• Slow recognition of climate change: Only after 2008 when India prepared national climate action due to its obligations under UN climate negotiations. Punjab created its State Action Plan for Climate Change in 2014.

Way Forward

• Farmer centric sector-specific strategies: like new climate-resilient varieties, crop diversification, better water management systems, market intelligence systems, local weather monitoring dissemination and climate insurance.
• Establish broad-based commission: to examine all issues related to food security in light of climate change and ecological imperatives.
• Utilize knowledge infrastructure: Punjab, with necessary knowledge infrastructure (like Punjab Agricultural University, IIT Ropar and Indian School of Business) can initiate such an exercise.

Conclusion: Punjab needs agricultural practices that are ecologically sustainable, competitive and remunerative to farmers and are beyond partisan politics and corporate interests.