Hyderabad, March 26: As climate change continues to exact its toll on Indian farming communities, vigorous research is being conducted by the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) that seeks to mitigate the effects of climate change on rain-fed Indian farmers. The institute, in its wide and varied research, has created hybrid seeds that are resistant to drought, excess heat, and flooding, which are widely considered to be the major hazards of climate change.
ICRISAT is the only global research and development institute working on the semi-arid tropics, which many believe to be the most vulnerable to climate change. Partnering with more than 200 separate organisations, and with sister insitutes all over India and Africa, their research will help India maintain food security into the 21st century.
In a panel discussion, Nigel Poole, the chairman of ICRISAT’s governing board of directors, warned that “climate change is already here. We can’t fight it. But we can help farmers cope with the effects.’’ To aid in this effort, ICRISAT has developed more than 600 new varieties of climate change-resistant crops, from millets and sorghum to pulses and groundnuts.
Much of this research has already borne fruit. As Dr William Dar, Director General of ICRISAT, explained: “Twenty years ago, chickpea production in Andhra Pradesh was one-third of what it is today. This is solely due to ICRI SAT’s research into heat-resistant strains.’’ But the panellists stressed the work yet to be done. In particular, they noted that the products of much of their research remained in the laboratory.
At present, only 180 of ICRISAT’s 600 new crop varieties have been released in India. To get the seeds out to the farmers who need them, ICRI SAT has proposed a “2020 strategy’’ utilising a systemic approach to interacting with villages.
This year, ICRI SAT started a massive project to “downstream’’ their research product to end-users.
“We must get climate change-resistant crops into the hands of farmers before it’s too late,’’ remarked Poole, and Dr Dar lamented the fact that countries were not on a “war footing’’ when i t came to climate change.
Saying that a “perfect storm’’ loomed over India’s very livelihood, he noted that for every 12 rupees spent on irrigated agriculture, only 1 rupee went to rain-fed agriculture.
Dr D called upon the government to invest more heavily in semi-arid areas.
“As many as 644 million people live in primarily rain-fed areas,’’ said Dr Dar, “we need strong policies to ensure our survival in the face of climate change. This means a halt to deforestation, a strategic partnership with farming hamlets, and meaningful controls on carbon emissions.’’
–Agencies