2015, so far, has been a taxing year for farmers of India. As per the official data released by Indian Meteorological Department, around 8.5 million hectares of crops were destroyed due to unseasonal rain across the country.
In the wake of this massive loss, thousands of farmers had committed suicide with Maharashtra being the worst affected state.
Nevertheless as we look forward to a normal Southwest Monsoon, hopes of farmers have revived once again. But is relying solely on the prediction enough for the welfare of both crops and farmers?
Monsoon has not been kind enough for the Indian farmers. 2014 was declared a drought year, which was followed by untimely rains along with hail storms early this year.
According to M S Swaminathan, father of India’s Green Revolution, experience shows that if the Southwest Monsoon begins early, there may be a lull in rainfall later. And if the history repeats itself once again, then domestic farmers are in great trouble.
India needs to prepare well in advance for any weather adversity. Let us have a look at some of the practical ways, which will make India strong enough to sustain any misfortune.
Compulsory rainwater harvesting: Rainfall harvesting should be made mandatory in all farms. If there is a persistent dry spell, this water can be used for crop-life-saving irrigation. Community rainwater harvesting should be promoted in small farms.
Seed banks and short duration crops: Seedlings can wither if there is a long gap between the rainy spells. Hence, seed banks with alternative short-duration crops should be available easily. However, one thing should be kept in mind that alternative crops should be catering to home needs, as well as market demand. This will limit the farmers' loss up to some extent.
Plans to adapt weather probabilities: To get the best of the technology, several agriculture universities and farmers’ associations should come forward and jointly develop contingency plans to adapt to different weather probabilities. Both the parameters should work together otherwise technical advice will remain on paper.
Focusing on grain reserve: Grain reserve is dwindling and this is an alarming call as climate change is posing unforeseen threats every day. Scientists and farmers should jointly come out with the ways of coping with weather challenges like flood, drought and unseasonal rain.
Image credit: Livemint
