Nagaland: Farmers to bear brunt of climate change

Thejoto Nienu
Kohima, July 15 (EMN): The frequency of extreme weather events like severe heatwave and heavy downpour is bound to increase due to climate change, and this, experts fear will adversely affect agriculture in terms of crop yield and nutritional quality.

Dr. K K Jha, Professor, School of Agricultural Sciences and Rural Development (SASRD), Nagaland University, Medziphema Campus, told Eastern Mirror that climate change could have a long term impact on agricultural production.

Citing the rise in temperature and erratic rainfall over the years, he said farmers in Northeast India, including Nagaland are already feeling the pinch of this change.

He pointed out that farmers in the region largely depend on the monsoon rain for their agricultural activities due to lack of irrigation facilities, and so, variation in rainfall can disrupt agricultural operations and productivity. He added that trees, plants and crops require certain temperature to grow well.

Building resilience

Pointing out that the world can reduce the impact of climate change but not avert it, experts stressed on building climate resilience to face the unavoidable global phenomenon.

Although the Northeast has better adaptability to climate change, compared to other parts of the country, farmers in the region are also feeling its impact, said professor Jha, while stressing on the need to adopt climate resilience agriculture.

Supongnukshi, Chief Conservator of Forest and State Nodal officer for Climate Change, Nagaland, said that building climate resilience depends on how “we adapt to the changes to the climatic pattern, in our livelihood activities, or in our infrastructure activities or in other different ways of life”.

He went on to say that climate resilience in the agriculture sector won’t happen overnight and will take time.

Way forward

The State Nodal officer for Climate Change stressed on the need to focus on growing indigenous varieties of food grains, vegetables, cereals pulses, etc. instead of genetically modified crops, reasoning that indigenous crops are ‘tried and tested’ in the state while those brought from outside market are not.

He said over dependence on genetically modified crops can be disastrous for farmers as there are chances of crop failures.

“So, it is more advisable to use more of our local varieties which we have been using from before,” said the officer.

He said prevention of global warming depends on lots of factors but one can adapt and make behavioural changes to keep pace with the changing environment. He also said that the people should practice 3Rs — reuse, recycle, and reduce.

According to Dr. Jha, farmers should be trained properly on adapting to changing weather patterns. In this regard, he said various agencies like the Agriculture department have an important role to play in educating the farmers to minimise adverse consequences.

He said that different variety of crops that may be able to adapt to high temperature or heavy rainfall can be introduced. Maintaining that “we cannot stop it (climate change) but reduce”, he said farmers should be sensitised about mitigating the issue.

Meanwhile, the state’s department of Soil and Water Conservation suggested taking up cost-effective, eco-friendly and sustainable biological and mechanical measures for conserving soil and water in high rainfall areas or during high rainfall period in hilly areas.

Biological measures such as vegetative barrier, contour farming, strip cropping, mulching etc. reduce splash erosion by moderating the impact of rain drops, stated the department. These measures, it said, reduces runoff velocity and increase infiltration opportunity time and trap fine soil and nutrients.

Where biological measures are insufficient to check erosion to a desired level due to high velocity of run off or discharge, mechanical measures may also be incorporated, it stated, adding that these measures will also conserve moisture for crop growth.

Basically, mechanical measures such as bunding, terracing, levelling, diversion drains, contour trenches etc., which act as mechanical barriers, are constructed across the slope to reduce or break the length of slope only or both the length and degree of slope to dissipate the energy of flowing water, improve moisture for biomass production, recharge ground water etc., it stated.

The department also suggested rainwater harvesting and construction of diversion bunds and water storage tanks in the face of climate change.

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