With climate change lowering crop yield in Punjab, study suggests climate-smart agri solutions

Vijay Mohan 

Chandigarh, January 18 

A study on ‘Climate change and its impact on productivity of major kharif and rabi crops in Punjab,’ has indicated that productivity of most crops decreases with an increase in average temperature and has suggest focus on climate-smart agriculture for effective solutions to climatic risks.

The study assessed the climate change impact on productivity for five major crops across Punjab over a 35 year period from 1986–2020. These include wheat, rice, cotton, maize and potato.

Anticipating that the climate change would be long-standing and will have a great bearing on the livelihood of the farmers and overall economy of the sector, the study observed that the projected changes in temperature and rainfall may result in a decline in yield of all major crops in the range of 1-10 percent by 2035, 3-18 percent by 2065, and 4-26 percent by the year 2100.

According to the experts’ calculations, by 2050, the loss in yield, including negative impact accumulating over time, would be 24 per cent for maize, followed by 24 per cent for cotton and by about two per cent for rice. The yield loss of wheat and potato has been projected at five per cent each.

“The adverse impact of climate change on agricultural production indicates food security threat to the farming community,” the study stated. “The findings provide credence to the claim that the future climate scenario is not very welcoming as nothing uninformed about the constraints of crisis and climate justice is adhered to,” the study added.

The study, conducted by three experts from the Department of Economics and Sociology, Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana, has been published this month by the India Meteorological Department.

The study’s authors have stressed that climate-smart packages must be incorporated into the agricultural development agenda at the policy level. Agro-Met advisories must be improved so that they are delivered to farmers in a timely manner, allowing them to make decisions ahead of a calamity.

The study pointed out that the climate of Punjab has been changing and it has a detrimental effect on the agricultural yields. The effects of climate change on food production are not limited to crops and it will affect food production and food security via its direct or indirect impact on other components of the agricultural production systems.