Rising temperatures! declining water resources and labour shortages are threatening India's bread basket state of Haryana. Forcing farmers to abandon age0old practices and adopt technology to ensure food supplies for millions. Thousands of farmers are learning to adapt to climate change! boost soil fertility and reduce their carbon emissions.
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Climate Smart Farmers Get Tech Savvy to Save India's Bread Basket
Rising temperatures! declining water resources and labour shortages are threatening India's bread basket state of Haryana. Forcing farmers to abandon age0old practices and adopt technology to ensure food supplies for millions. Thousands of farmers are learning to adapt to climate change! boost soil fertility and reduce their carbon emissions.
Rising temperatures! declining water resources and labour shortages are threatening India's bread basket state of Haryana. Forcing farmers to abandon age0old practices and adopt technology to ensure food supplies for millions. Thousands of farmers are learning to adapt to climate change! boost soil fertility and reduce their carbon emissions.
2 OF 2. Labourers work in a paddy field in Birnaraya village in Karnal district in Haryana September ! "#$% 1 OF 2. Harpreet Singh! &'! a farmer! measures nitrogen level using a device called (reenseeker in his paddy field in Birnaraya village in Karnal district in Haryana September ! "#$% BY NITA BHALLA-Tue Sep 16, 2014 K)*+)L ,-homson *euters .oundation/ 0 1rratic weather! rising temperatures! declining water resources and labour shortages are threatening India's bread basket state of Haryana! forcing farmers to abandon age0old practices and adopt technology to ensure food supplies for millions% 2sing machines which sow rice directly! devices to inform when to irrigate and phone messages warning of infestations! thousands of farmers are learning to adapt to climate change! boost soil fertility and reduce their carbon emissions% 3)t first! many farmers were unsure% It's a big risk to change the way you have farmed for decades and try new things% )griculture in these parts is not 4ust a livelihood! it's a way of life!3 said Harpreet Singh! &'! a farmer in the village of Birnaraya! #&" km ,5" miles/ north of 6elhi% 3But over the last four years! through these technologies! we have learnt to save water and fertilisers! cut our costs for hired labour! improved the resilience of our crops and also reduced pollution by not burning crop residues%3 Singh is from one of #!""" farming households across 7 villages in Haryana's Karnal district working with scientists from the Consultative (roup on International )gricultural *esearch ,C(I)*/ to pilot climate smart techni8ues aimed at sustaining one of the country's most fertile belts% S)9I+( I+6I)'S B*1)6 B)SK1- Since India's so0called 3(reen *evolution3 0 a massive government programme rolled out in the #:'"s and #:7"s which increased the use of fertilisers and irrigation to boost farm output 0 Haryana's rice production has soared to almost $ million tonnes in "#&;#$ compared to &&$!""" tonnes in #:'';'7% But while the (reen *evolution may be credited with ending famine across the country! it has come at a cost and! coupled with more unpredictable weather attributed to global warming! India's food security is once again at risk% )lmost half a century on! farmers face environmental problems such as depleted groundwater because of intensive pumping for irrigation! soil degradation and soil salinity% 3*esources are depleting% (roundwater levels are falling! there is emerging climate variability! the soil health is worsening! and profitability is going down!3 said <%L% =at! an agronomist with the International <ai>e and ?heat Improvement Centre ,CI<<@-/% -he Indo0(angetic Alains 0 which include the rice and wheat states of Haryana and Aun4ab 0 are particularly vulnerable to climate change! say eBperts from the 2%+% Intergovernmental Aanel on Climate Change ,IACC/% Scientists predict average temperatures here to increase by as much as five degrees Celsius by "5"! seriously affecting wheat crops% )n )pril study by the Indian )gricultural *esearch Institute pro4ects climate change may reduce India's wheat yield by between ' to & percent by "C"% *ice will also be hit due to unpredictable rainfall% Indian officials say the water table has fallen between one and #& metres in different parts of Karnal over the last two decades% -he region! which is heavily dependent on migrant labour from poorer states! is also facing shortages due to a government scheme to employ more people in construction near their homes% 3H)AA@ S1161*S3 In response to these challenges! agricultural groups are introducing Karnal's farmers to a host of climate smart technologies% -hese include techni8ues such as direct seeding which involves sowing seeds by machines rather than transplanting manually! which reduces labour and water% Dther new technology includes La>er Levellers 0 tractor0towed! laser0controlled devices 0 that produce a flat surface for cultivation! re8uiring C to &" percent less water% .armers are being introduced to tools such as 3Happy Seeders3 which can be attached to the back of tractors% -hese remove crop residues! blending them into the soil! preventing the practice of burning crop residues that has led to increased emissions and depleted soil fertility% 3?e didn't know anything about these advanced technology machines before!3 said <ano4 Kumar <un4al! $"! who farms a "0acre plot of land in -aorori village% 3?e have learnt about these machines and set up a cooperative where we all put in the money together and bought machines and share them% +ow everyone is using it%3 .armers are also receive voice messages giving weather forecasts! informing of new seed varieties and infestations% 1EA1+SI91 -1CH+DLD(I1S But these technologies do not come cheap% ) La>er Leveller! for eBample! costs more than F'!"""% In villages such as <un4al's! farmers have clubbed together to buy new machinery! while in others! one farmer invests in the hardware and rents it out to others% C(I)* said a similar pro4ect is underway in the eastern state of Bihar using lower cost techni8ues on smaller plots% Dn his sprawling :"0acre farm! Harpreet Singh crouched down amongst his rice paddy stalks and checked his tensiometer! a device planted in the ground to measure moisture content% Singh said over the last four years! his income has increased by #C percent due to savings made on electricity for irrigation! diesel for residue burning! labour and fertilisers% But it is the saving on water which satisfies him the most% 36ay by day! the ground water levels are going down and down% If we continue like this! its only a matter of time before we don't have water to drink! let alone to farm!3 he said% ,1diting by *os *ussellG Alease credit -homson *euters .oundation! the charitable arm of -homson *euters! that covers humanitarian news! womenHs rights! corruption and climate change% 9isit www%trust%org/ Aosted by -havam