Climate resilience of Northeast farmers

 Nearly 51% of India’s net cultivated area is dependent on rain. As these areas account for 40% of total food production, changing rainfall patterns due to climate change have made the country’s food security vulnerable. Increasing crop insurance coverage is not the solution, although it is essential to provide a much-needed cushion to farmers against crop failure caused by drastic weather conditions or natural disasters. Adoption of climate-resilient farming is a pragmatic solution but is easier said than done. Alignment of agricultural practices with the climate resilience of farmers does not have a one-size-fits-all solution and must be developed to meet the specific requirements of each agro-climate zone. The flagship schemes targeted to benefit farmers in rainfed areas and funded by the central and state governments, being flexible to accommodate local requirements, are essential. Farmers adopting climate-resilient varieties developed by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research and agricultural universities cannot detract from the economic benefits associated with current agricultural practices. As the majority of farmers in the country have small land holdings, the use of high-yielding hybrid varieties developed and made available to them plays a crucial role in maximising production and income from agriculture. The high-yielding varieties can ensure higher benefits only when an adequate quantity of chemical fertiliser is used and the farm field is optimally irrigated. Traditional varieties, on the other hand, require less water while locally available organic manures are used, but the yield is quite low compared to high-yielding hybrid varieties. A farmer dependent on traditional seeds, rains from irrigation, and organic fertilisers cannot expect to produce a marketable surplus for augmenting household income from agriculture. Due to this, farmers adopt new high-yielding varieties and mount pressure on the government for assured irrigation and subsidized fertilizer. If the benefits of adopting new climate-resilient varieties are not properly explained, the farmer will be reluctant to go for it. Overuse of chemical fertilizers has already affected soil health conditions in many areas, adding to the challenges of crop failure in drastic weather conditions. Experts have pressed the alarm bells over the rise in temperature and shifts in monsoon rainfall patterns and forecasted a significant decline in productivity in all major crops in the coming decades. Policy planners have focused on finding solutions on a wider scale beyond the adoption of climate-resilient varieties by individual farmers. Establishment of Climate Resilient Villages (CRV) is an innovative approach to increasing the capacity of farm communities to adapt to climate change through comprehensive planning and management of natural resources, livestock, and climate-smart agriculture. Indigenous communities in the northeastern region have institutionalised eco-friendly village systems based on traditional practices of agriculture, natural resource management, and livestock rearing. However, such a system institutionalised through traditions passed from one generation to the next for ages cannot be expected to be adopted by communities practicing modern market-linked agriculture if pushed as models. The CRV seeks to increase the capacity of village institutions in natural resource management and the adoption of new and multiple technologies for climate-smart farming and livestock rearing so that they can cope with climate risks. Adopting the best practices prevalent among various indigenous communities in the region can make the CRV approach more successful. The objective is to build the capacity of farmers to augment income from multiple livelihood opportunities instead of depending on a single livelihood, such as farming or livestock rearing, for dairy development. The demand for organic farm produce has increased across the globe, which ideally should have brought more benefits to farmers in the region who have been traditionally growing organic food. Policymakers showcasing huge opportunities for organic food growers in the northeast region need to understand that the demands for organic food have been created under the modern market ecosystem. Therefore, to promote organic farming in the region and achieve the desired results, it is essential that traditional farm practices are suitably integrated into the modern global agriculture and food market system. Empowering the farm communities with digital and financial literacy is crucial to building their capacity to understand and participate in the modern market system and to realise how they can tap the growing demand for organic food to strengthen their financial situation. The spread of internet facilities in the region under the BharatNet programme has brought opportunities for connecting the traditional villages with markets across the globe, where the demand for the kind of food produced by communities in the region has increased. The focus should be on farmers getting premium value for their produce and not on increasing production beyond the scale, which is unsustainable and only increases the financial vulnerability of traditional growers. The approach to establishing a climate-resilient village in other regions of the country, however, cannot be a carbon copy of the approach in the northeast region, although the objectives of building resilience against climate change will remain the same for all regions.