Impact of monsoon on agriculture this year
Due to excessive irrigation in northern India, the shift of monsoon to the north-west is increasing the risks in agriculture.
A recent study has shown that monsoon rainfall in South Asia is sensitive to the choice of irrigation systems. It is known that South Asia is one of the most irrigated regions of the world.
Key Points
- Excessive irrigation in northern India and consequent increase in evapotranspiration shift the monsoon rainfall (sum of evaporation from land surface and transpiration from plants) of September to the north-western part of the subcontinent, and exacerbate extreme weather conditions over a wide range of central India.
- These hydro-climatic hazards related to the peak of precipitation are increasing the risk to crops.
- The increased risk in crops is mainly due to the decreasing number of farmers and the increase in minimum temperature during the growing season.
- This study can help in agricultural practices planning and directly benefit the National Innovation in Climate Resilient Agriculture (NICRA).
- NICRA is a project of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR). It aims to enhance the resilience of Indian agriculture to climate change and climate vulnerability through strategic research and technology demonstration.
- It evaluates different crops/regions in the country in terms of their vulnerabilities to climate stress and extreme events, especially the inter-seasonal variability of rainfall.
Source – The Hindu
