Lok Sabha Question No. 2622 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2016-05-10
Subject: Climate Smart Agriculture
Ministry: AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE
Asked by: VIJAY KUMAR HANSDAK, BHARAT SINGH, RODMAL NAGAR, K. C. VENUGOPAL, PR. SENTHILNATHAN

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE

## DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH & EDUCATION

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2622 TO BE ANSWERED ON 10/05/2016

## CLIMATE SMART AGRICULTURE

2622.  SHRI VIJAY KUMAR HANSDAK: SHRI BHARAT SINGH: SHRI NAGAR RODMAL: SHRI K.C. VENUGOPAL:

SHRI PR. SENTHIL NATHAN:

Will the Minister of AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE d`f"k vkSj fdlku dY;k.k ea=h be pleased to state:

(a) whether the Government is aware of international and national reports warning that climate change, global warming and current policies could lead to acute food scarcity by 2020, if so, the details thereof and the steps taken in this regard;

(b) whether the Government is aware that the climate change in the country is clearly discernible  for  quite  some  time  and  resulting  in  adverse  effects  on  agriculture  and  food security, if so, the details thereof and the reaction of the Government thereto;

(c) whether the Government has made any assessment of the impact of climate change on small scale agricultural system in the country, if so, the details thereof;

(d) whether the agriculture sector is currently responsible for 10-12 per cent of global anthropogenic green house gas emissions and if so, the details thereof and the action taken by the Government to encourage the farmers to adopt low carbon farm technique to boost the agricultural production in the country; and

(e) whether the Government has taken any concrete steps to encourage climate smart agriculture  and  to  reduce  the  dangers  posed  by  climate  change  on  agriculture  and  food security in the country and if so, the details and the achievements thereof?

## A N S W E R

MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE d`f'k vkSj fdlku dY;k.k ea=ky; esa jkT; ea=h

## (DR. SANJEEV KUMAR BALYAN)

(a) Yes, Madam.  Government is aware of important international and national reports of  Inter-governmental  Panel on Climate Change (IPCC 2013 and 2014), UK-Met Office (2012),  FAO  (2016),  World  Bank  (2013),  ICAR-Network  Project  on  Climate  Change (NPCC,  2004-10),  and  Indian  Network  of  Climate  Change  Assessment  (INCCA,  2010)

O.I.H.

besides National Communication to UNFCCC (2012) on climate change, global warming, current policies and their impact on Indian agriculture leading to possible food scarcity by 2020.  Most  studies  indicate  reduction  in  yield  of  crops  especially  rice,  wheat,  maize, sorghum due to heat extremes and reduced availability of irrigation water.

Recognizing  likely  impact  of  climate  change  on  agriculture  and  allied  sectors, Government  through  Indian  Council  of  Agricultural  Research  (ICAR)  has  initiated network project,  National  Innovations  on  Climate  Resilient  Agriculture  (NICRA)  during 2010-11.    It  encompasses  multi-pronged  strategic  research,  technology  development, capacity building of stakeholders and technology demonstrations at farmers' fields.

(b) Yes, Madam.  Some recent studies hint at an increasing frequency and intensity of extremes in rainfall and rise in temperature  during past  40-50  years resulting in adverse effects on agriculture. Further, decline in wheat yield in Eastern and Central India due to terminal  heat  stress  and  unseasonal  windy  rainfall  during  February-March;  damage  to horticultural  crops  such  as  mango,  guava,  papaya,  brinjal,  tomato,  potato  due  to  cold waves;  damage  to  horticultural  crops  due  to  hailstorms  in  Maharashtra,  upward  shift  in apple production zones in the Himachal Pradesh etc. have been experienced in recent past. Such anomalous weather and climate events in various regions could have been influenced due to global warming and long-term climate change besides natural variability of climate system would result in adverse effects on agriculture and food security. However, from the available meteorological data in the country, it is difficult to draw a definite relationship between climate change and extreme weather events experienced in the recent past.

The  ICAR  institutes  and  SAUs  in  collaboration  with  IMD  provide  the  weather forecast  and  crop  contingency  plans  across  India.  So  far,  contingency  plans  for  614 districts  covering  25  states  have  been  prepared  and  uploaded  at  www.farmer.gov.in, www.crida.in  and www.agricoop.nic.in. The contingency plans are also being constantly updated to meet the emerging situations.

Further, Government recently launched Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY)  for  providing  financial  support to farmers  suffering  crop  damage  from unforeseen events and production risks. The details of PMFBY  are  available at www.agricoop.nic.in.

(c) Research studies indicate more erratic and intense monsoon rains/unseasonal rains and  hailstorm,  increasing  risk  of  droughts  and  floods  and  rise  in  temperature  including increased frequency of warm days in certain pockets and affecting small scale agricultural system. This may leads to projected average reduction of yield by 6% in wheat, 4-6% in rice, 18% in maize, 2.5% in sorghum, 2% in mustard and 2.5% in potato. The crop yield were projected more vulnerable in Central and East India for wheat; Punjab, Haryana, and Rajasthan for irrigated rice, Maharashtra, Odisha, Chhattisgarh and Assam for rainfed rice; Central India for mustard and Punjab, Bihar, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal for potato.

The impact of climate change is also expected in economic viability and production of livestock systems through poor availability of quality feed and fodder, decreased reproductive performance and decline in milk production. Further, ICAR- CRIDA has also mapped 572 districts of the country for their vulnerability to extreme events due to climate

change.  The vulnerability was assessed high to very high in 230 districts, medium in 114 districts and low to very low in 228 districts.  The details are placed in Annexure-I .

(d) Globally, agriculture contributes about 10-12% of total GHG emissions. However, Indian  agriculture  sector  contributes  about  18%  of  the  total  greenhouse  gas  (GHG) emissions in the country. Important activities of agriculture which contribute to emissions include livestock (56% mainly as methane), rice cultivation (18% as methane) and burning of crop residues (2%) and manure management (1%).

The Government has taken several initiatives to reduce GHG emissions and improve agricultural productivity through  promoting rice cultivation under System  of Rice Intensification (SRI) and Direct Seeded Rice (DSR), Neem coated urea, judicious use of water and fertilizers, water saving technologies and shifting area from transplanted rice to other cereals, pulses and oilseeds especially in Punjab, Haryana and western Uttar Pradesh. Further,  location  and  crop  specific  efficient  management  practices  for  conservation agriculture  (CA),  resource  conservation  technology  (RCT),  broad  bed  furrow  (BBF) method of sowing, micro irrigation have been developed by ICAR institutes which reduce GHG emission from crops and have been demonstrated through Front Line Demonstrations (FLD).

(e) Government through Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) has initiated network  project  called  National  Innovations  on  Climate  Resilient  Agriculture  (NICRA) during 2010-11 for enhancing resilience of Indian agriculture to climate change through strategic  research,  capacity  building  and  technology  demonstration.  Under  Technology demonstration  component  (TDC)  of  NICRA,  the  climate  resilient  interventions  are implemented  by  taking  one  representative  village  in  151  vulnerable  districts.  Major interventions  implemented  under  the  scheme  for  climate  resilient  agriculture  include efficient  management  of  natural  resources,  adoption  of  resilient  agronomic  practices, adoption  of  stress  tolerant  varieties,  efficient  management  of  livestock,  poultry  and fisheries and strengthening local institutions.

Government  is  also  addressing  the  issues  of  climate  change  through  National Mission on Sustainable Agriculture (NMSA). The NMSA as pragmatic intervention aims at  adopting  location  specific,  integrated/  composite  farming  system;  soil  and  moisture conservation measures; comprehensive soil health management, efficient water management  practices  and  mainstream  rainfed  technologies.  Besides,  climate  resilient interventions have been embedded and mainstreamed into Missions/Programmes/Schemes of  Department  of  Agriculture  &  Farmers  Welfare  (DAC  &  FW)  through  a  process  of restructuring and convergence.

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## Annexure-I

[Part (c) to Lok Sabha USQ No.2622 for 10-05-2016]

Table: District-wise Vulnerability Indices to Climate Change

| State                | Vulnerability Indices to Climate Change                                                                                                         | Vulnerability Indices to Climate Change                                                                                                                  | Vulnerability Indices to Climate Change                             | Vulnerability Indices to Climate Change                             | Vulnerability Indices to Climate Change                                                                                          |
|----------------------|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|---------------------------------------------------------------------|---------------------------------------------------------------------|----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|                      | Very High                                                                                                                                       | High                                                                                                                                                     | Medium                                                              | Low                                                                 | Very Low                                                                                                                         |
| A & N Islands        |                                                                                                                                                 |                                                                                                                                                          |                                                                     |                                                                     | A & N Islands.                                                                                                                   |
| Andhra Pradesh       | Chittoor, Anantapur.                                                                                                                            | Kurnool.                                                                                                                                                 | Cuddapah,                                                           | Prakasam.                                                           | Guntur, Srikakulam, Visakhapatnam, Nellore, East Godavari, Vizianagaram, West Godavari, Krishna.                                 |
| Arunachal Pradesh    |                                                                                                                                                 |                                                                                                                                                          |                                                                     | Tawang, East Kameng, Upper Subansiri, West Siang, Upper Siang.      | West Kameng, Dibang valley, Tirap, Lower Subansiri, Lohit, Changlang, Kurung Kumey, Papum Pare, East Siang.                      |
| Assam                | Karbi-Anglong.                                                                                                                                  | Barpeta                                                                                                                                                  | N C Hills.                                                          | Hailakandi, Dhemaji, Nalbari, Kamrup, Dhubri, Morigaon , Golaghat.  | Karimganj, Nagaon, Kokrajhar, Goalpara, Bongaigaon, Lakhimpur, Sonitpur, Dibrugarh, Tinsukia, Jorhat, Sibsagar, Cachar, Darrang. |
| Bihar                | Kishanganj, Madhubani, Araria, Darbhanga, Supaul, Bhagalpur.                                                                                    | Gopalganj, Saran, Purnea, Saharsa, Siwan, Katihar, Patna, Buxar, Sitamarhi, Nalanda, Champaran(East), Champaran(West), Samastipur, Muzafarpur, Vaishali. | Begusarai, Lakhisarai, Jahanabad, Banka, Bhojpur, Jamui, Madhepura. | Sheikhpura, Aurangabad, Khagaria, Sivhar, Rohtas, Bhabhua (Kaimur). | Gaya, Nawadha, Monghyr.                                                                                                          |
| Chhattisgarh         |                                                                                                                                                 | Kawardha, Sarguja, Rajnandgaon, Koriya, Dantewara, Jashpur, Durg.                                                                                        | Mahasamund, Bilaspur, Bastar, Kanker.                               | Korba, Raigadh, Janjgir, Raipur, Dhamtari.                          |                                                                                                                                  |
| Dadra & Nagar Haveli |                                                                                                                                                 |                                                                                                                                                          |                                                                     |                                                                     | Dadra & Nagar Haveli.                                                                                                            |
| Daman & Diu          | Daman & Diu                                                                                                                                     |                                                                                                                                                          |                                                                     |                                                                     |                                                                                                                                  |
| Goa                  |                                                                                                                                                 |                                                                                                                                                          |                                                                     |                                                                     | Goa                                                                                                                              |
| Gujarat              | Patan, Amreli, Surendranagar, Kutch, Banaskantha, Mehsana, Ahmedabad, Bhavnagar, Rajkot, Jamnagar, Junagadh, Sabarkanta, Panchmahal, Porbandar. | Gandhinagar, Dahod, Dang, Bharuch, Vadodara, Narmada.                                                                                                    | Kheda.                                                              | Anand.                                                              | Surat, Valasad, Navsari.                                                                                                         |

| State            | Vulnerability Indices to Climate Change                                                                                                          | Vulnerability Indices to Climate Change                                                                                                   | Vulnerability Indices to Climate Change                                                      | Vulnerability Indices to Climate Change                            | Vulnerability Indices to Climate Change                                         |
|------------------|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|--------------------------------------------------------------------|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| State            | Very High                                                                                                                                        | High                                                                                                                                      | Medium                                                                                       | Low                                                                | Very Low                                                                        |
| Haryana          |                                                                                                                                                  | Kaithal, Fatehabad, Jhajjar, Sirsa, Bhiwani, Panipet, Jind, Hissar, Mahendragarh.                                                         | Kurukshetra, Faridabad, Gurgaon, Rewari, Karnal, Sonipet.                                    | Rohtak, Panchkula.                                                 | Ambala, Yamunanagar.                                                            |
| Himachal Pradesh |                                                                                                                                                  | Kullu, Shimla, Chamba, Bilaspur.                                                                                                          | Kinnaur,Hamirpur.                                                                            | Mandi, Una, Kangra.                                                | Sirmaur, Solan, Lahaul & Spiti.                                                 |
| Jammu & Kashmir  |                                                                                                                                                  | Rajouri.                                                                                                                                  | Doda, Udhampur, Pulwama, Budgam, Poonch, Anantnag.                                           | Srinagar, Kathua, Kupwara.                                         | Kargil, Leh(Ladakh), Baramulla, Jammu.                                          |
| Jharkhand        | Godda, Pakur, Sahibganj.                                                                                                                         | Bokaro, Gumla, West Singbhum, Lohardaga, East Singbhum, Palamu.                                                                           | Giridish, Dumka, Garhwa, Chtra, Ranchi, Dhanbad, Deoghar.                                    | Hazaribag, Koderma.                                                |                                                                                 |
| Karnataka        | Bijapur, Gulbarga, Gadag, Bagalkot, Raichur, Chitradurga, Haveri, Bidar, Davanagere, Bangalore (Rural), Tumkur, Koppal, Dharwad, Chamarajanagar. | Kolar, Bellary, Belgaum, Mysore, Mandya.                                                                                                  |                                                                                              | Bangalore (Urban), Hassan.                                         | Chikmagalur, Uttara Kannada, Kodagu / Coorgu, Udupi, Dakshina Kannada, Shimoga. |
| Kerala           |                                                                                                                                                  |                                                                                                                                           | Thiruvanathapuram, Malappuram, Kollam, Kozhikode.                                            | Wayanad, Kasaragod, Kannur, Kottayam, Alappuzha, Idukki, Palakkad. | Thrissur, Pathanamthitta, Ernakulam.                                            |
| Madhya Pradesh   | Jhabua, Rajgarh, Mandsaur, Shajapur, Dindori, Ratlam, Dhar, Sidhi, Vidisha, Shivpuri, Ujjain, Bhind, Barwani, Shahdol,                           | Rewa, MandlaDewas, Neemuch, Khargone(West Nimar), Betul, Guna, Sehore, Umaria, Damoh, Panna, Satna, Chhatarpur, Datia, Chhindwara, Katni. | Seoni, Morena, Sheopur Kalan, Raisen, Bhopal, Khandwa(East Nimar), Tikamgarh, Indore, Sagar. | Narsinghpur, Jabalpur, Gwalior, Harda.                             | Balaghat, Hoshangabad.                                                          |
| Maharashtra      | Solapur, Beed, Ahmednagar, Osmanabad, Latur, Nandurbar, Sangli,Buldhana, Dhule, Nasik, Jalna, Amravati.                                          | Akola, Aurangabad, Jalgaon, Parbhani, Washim.                                                                                             | Nanded, Pune, Hingoli.                                                                       | Yavatmal, Wardha, Satara, Nagpur, Raigad, Thane.                   | Gondia, Ratnagiri, Gadchiroli, Bhandara, Sindhudurg, Kolhapur,Chandrapur.       |
| Manipur          |                                                                                                                                                  |                                                                                                                                           | Churachandpur, Chandel, Ukhrul.                                                              | Senapati, Tamenglong, Imphal East.                                 | Imphal West, Thoubal, Bishnupur.                                                |

| State       | Vulnerability Indices to Climate Change                                                                                                                                                                                                   | Vulnerability Indices to Climate Change                | Vulnerability Indices to Climate Change                                                                   | Vulnerability Indices to Climate Change                                                                                                                        | Vulnerability Indices to Climate Change        |
|-------------|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|--------------------------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|------------------------------------------------|
|             | Very High                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 | High                                                   | Medium                                                                                                    | Low                                                                                                                                                            | Very Low                                       |
| Meghalaya   |                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           |                                                        | South Garo Hills.                                                                                         | West Garo Hills, East Garo Hills, West Khasi Hills.                                                                                                            | Jaintia Hills, East Khasi Hills, Ri-Bhoi.      |
| Mizoram     |                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           |                                                        | Champhai.                                                                                                 | Saiha, Lawngtlai, Mamit, Serchhip, Lunglei, Kolasib, Aizawl.                                                                                                   |                                                |
| Nagaland    |                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           |                                                        |                                                                                                           | Mon, Tuensang, Wokha.                                                                                                                                          | Phek, Zunheboto, Kohima, Mokokchung, Dimapur.  |
| Odisha      |                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           | Nuapada.                                               | Kalahandi, Bolangir, Phulbani (Kandhamal), Keonjhar, Gajapati, Nabarangpur, Puri, Mayurbhanj, Kendrapara. | Sundargarh, Koraput, Malkangiri, Deogarh, Bhadrak, Sonepur, Jagatsingpur, Baragarh, Dhenkanal, Nayagarh, Rayagada, Jharsuguda, Balasore (Baleshwar), Sambalpur | Boudh, Jajpur, Angul, Ganjam, Khurda, Cuttack. |
| Pondicherry |                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           |                                                        |                                                                                                           |                                                                                                                                                                | Pondicherry                                    |
| Punjab      | Faridkot,                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 | Moga, Kapurthala, Mansa, Firozpur.                     | Sangrur, Muktsar, Bathinda, Jalandhar.                                                                    | Fathegarh Sahib, Shahid Bhagat Singh Nagar, Patiala, Hoshiarpur, Amritsar, Ludhiana.                                                                           | Rupnagar, Gurdaspur.                           |
| Rajasthan   | Barmer, Jaisalmer, Jodhpur, Bikaner, Nagaur, Jalore, Churu, Pali, Tonk, Ajmer, Sirohi, Dungarpur, Sikar, Rajsamand, Banswara, Hanumangarh, Bhilwara, Jhunjhunu, Jaipur, Sawai Madhopur, Udaipur, Jhalawar, Chittorgarh, Dausa, Bharatpur. | Sri Ganganagar, Bundi, Dholpur, Alwar, Karauli, Baran. | Kota.                                                                                                     |                                                                                                                                                                |                                                |
| Sikkim      |                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           |                                                        |                                                                                                           | Sikkim-South, Sikkim- North.                                                                                                                                   | West-Sikkim, East-Sikkim.                      |

| State         | Vulnerability Indices to Climate Change                                                                               | Vulnerability Indices to Climate Change                                                                                                                                    | Vulnerability Indices to Climate Change                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 | Vulnerability Indices to Climate Change                                                                                                                | Vulnerability Indices to Climate Change                              |
|---------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|----------------------------------------------------------------------|
|               | Very High                                                                                                             | High                                                                                                                                                                       | Medium                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  | Low                                                                                                                                                    | Very Low                                                             |
| Tamil Nadu    | Perambalur, Ariyalur, Salem, Namakkal, Dharmapuri, Ramanathapuram,                                                    | Villupuram, Thiruvannamalai, Karur, Thiruvarur, Dindigul.                                                                                                                  | Thanjavur, Coimbatore, Vellore, Cuddalore, Erode, Thoothukudi, Madurai, Nagapattinam, Thiruchirappalli.                                                                                                                                                                                 | Kanyakumari, Pudukkottai, Theni, Sivagangai.                                                                                                           | The Nilgiris, Virudhunagar, Thirunelveli, Thiruvallur, Kancheepuram. |
| Telangana     |                                                                                                                       | Mahabubnagar,                                                                                                                                                              | Medak, Adilabad.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        |                                                                                                                                                        | Rangareddy, Karimnagar, Warangal, Nizamabad, Khammam, Nalgonda,      |
| Tripura       |                                                                                                                       |                                                                                                                                                                            |                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         |                                                                                                                                                        | Dhalai, South Tripura, North Tripura, West Tripura.                  |
| Uttar Pradesh | Mahoba, Chitrakut, Banda, Hamirpur, Ballia, Bahraich, Kaushambi, Mathura, Deoria, Shravasti, Jhansi, Siddharth Nagar, | Bagpat, Lalitpur, Budaun, Gonda, Balrampur, Mau, Ghazipur, Sonbhadra, Fatehpur, Raebareily, Basti, Kushinagar, Shahjahanpur, Jalaun, Agra, Jaunpur, Faizabad, Maharajganj. | Mirzapur, Hardoi, Kanpur (Dehat), Aligarh, Sant Ravidas Nagar, Pratapgarh, Sant Kabir Nagar, Hathras, Farrukhabad, Azamgarh, Allahabad, Muzaffarnagar, Unnao, Jyotiba Phulenagar, Gorakhpur, Varanasi, Etah, Saharanpur, Auraiya, Kannauj, Bareilly, Sitapur, Ambedkar Nagar, Sultanpur | Etawah, Kheri, Firozabad, Bijnor, Pilibhit, Barabanki, Mainpuri, Gautam Buddh Nagar, Kanpur City, Bulandshahar, Chandauli, Lucknow, Moradabad, Rampur. | Ghaziabad, Meerut.                                                   |
| Uttarakhand   | Bageshwar, Tehri Garwal, Chamoli,                                                                                     | Almora, Pithoragarh, Champawat, Rudraprayag.                                                                                                                               | Uttarkashi                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              | Pauri Garhwal.                                                                                                                                         | Haridwar, Dehardun, Nainital, Udham Singh Nagar.                     |
| West Bengal   | Malda                                                                                                                 |                                                                                                                                                                            | Purulia, Dinajpur (Uttar), Murshidabad, Nadia, Dinajpur (Dakshin), 24- Paraganas (South), Howrah, Cooch Behar.                                                                                                                                                                          | 24-Paraganas (North), Midnapore, Birbhum.                                                                                                              | Jalpaiguri, Darjeeling, Hooghly, Bankura, Burdwan.                   |

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