Climate change has been happening always. However, with increased pollution and harmful emissions, it is more rapid and unpredictable now. Particularly affected adversely is the agriculture sector. Dependent on unpredictable monsoon, the sector is threatened by droughts, rapid and heavy downpours, changing weather patterns and aberrations.
Farmers being traditionally resilient have been adapting to climate changes with suitable and inexpensive alternatives. For example, in rain fed areas, farming communities are trying out staggered nurseries for some crops – multiple nurseries raising different age seedlings suitable for early or late sowing; better seed and water management practices. Based on the changing weather patterns and associated pest and disease management requirements, farmers are trying our different varieties as well as different crop combinations. With well known nutritional benefits being offered by millet cropping systems as well as their innate nature of being hardy and resilient, local millet based food systems are being revived as an option of coping with climate change. The adaptations are not limited to crop management practices. Farmers are also trying out technology interventions like precision farming, especially in commercial crops. The resilient measures are however, context specific – measures suitable for rain fed areas being entirely different from flood prone areas.
In our forthcoming issue, we look forward to sharing experiences where farming communities have taken up innovative measures in coping with climate change. What are the different measures being undertaken in different types of ecosystems – hilly, flood prone, drylands etc. Are the measures different for commercial crops, horticultural crops like fruits and vegetables and other Tree crops? How are farmers adapting to new climate resilient technologies? What is the price that farmers are paying to meet these climatic challenges? How are farmers adapting to their livelihoods under such changing climatic conditions? What is the impact of climate change on livestock health and what are the coping mechanisms? What is the policy support to tide these challenges? In this issue of LEISA India, we would like to include experiences that address these issues, both at the local as well as at the national level.
Articles for the June 2025 issue of LEISA India should be sent to the editors before 1st May 2025 to leisaindia@yahoo.co.in
