RURAL DEVELOPMENT AND MANAGEMENT CENTRE

J-102 Kalkaji, New Delhi 110019. India

 

 


Challenges for Agricultural Cooperatives

to Mitigate the Perils of Climate Change

 

G.C. Shrotriya and Daman Prakash*

 

 

Introduction

 

Climate change is drawing global attention, both at national as well as community level. Nobel Peace Prize-2007 was awarded to Inter-governmental Panel on Climatic Change [IPCC] for its efforts to build up and disseminate greater knowledge about man-made climate change and consequent natural disasters.

 

Climate change normally indicates “Change in behavior of weather elements over an area during a time span”. As per the United Nations Framework Convention of Climate Change [UNFCC]: “It is any change in climate that is attributable directly and indirectly to human activity that alters the atmospheric composition”. IPCC defined it as “any change of climate over time whether due to natural cause or as a result of human activity”.   

 

Climate change is a serious emerging threat to food and rural livelihood security. The IPCC estimated that man-made greenhouse gases [GHG] emissions have risen by 70% over the past three decades and will increase notwithstanding current climate change mitigation policies and related sustainable development practices. The Food and Agriculture Organization of United Nations [FAO] estimates that “as a consequence of climate change India could lose 125 million tons of its rain-fed cereal production, which is almost 18% of the total production of the world”.

 

India is primarily an agriculture-dependent nation, where majority of its 1.1 billion population depends on crop cultivation, fishery, forestry, dairy etc. for their livelihood. Besides this, India has vast coast-line which suffers from occasional cyclones. Many of these areas are also threatened because of rising sea level due to global warming.

 

---------------------------------------------                  

*Dr GC Shrotriya and Dr Daman Prakash are the Directors of Rural Development and Management Centre [RDMC} which is an autonomous and voluntary consultancy organisation.

 

Emission of Green House Gases

 

Greenhouse gases mostly consist of carbon dioxide [CO2], methane [CH4], nitrus oxide [NO2], chlorofluorocarbon [CFC] hydroflurocarbon [HFC] and sulphurhexafluride [SF6]. GHG emissions from the food and agriculture sector account for over one-third of the current annual total emissions of global greenhouse gas emission. World’s 130 million hectares of rice paddies are estimated to produce 50 to 100 million metric tones of methane annually. In India, highest emission of GHG is from energy sector [61%], followed by agriculture [28%]. GHG emission from industrial process is 8% [Fig-1].

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Fig.1-Green house gas emissions in India

 

Global Warming

 

When the solar radiation comes to the surface of the earth, a majority of its intensity is absorbed by earth and some of it is reflected back. Infra-red radiation passes to the atmosphere and some part is reflected back to the earth. Due to the formation of a thick layer of greenhouse gases most of the infra-red radiation gets reflected back to the earth, resulting in warming of earth surface.

 

The global warming is attributed to the enhancement of Greenhouse Effect. Global Warming Potential [GWP] of green house gases is as under:

 

Carbon dioxide            …        …        1

Methane                      …        …        21

Nitrus oxide                 …        …        310

Hydroflurocarbon        …        …        140-11700

Per fluorocarbons       …        …        6500-9200

Sulphur hexachloride  …        …        23900 

The earth’s climate has been reported to be warming up at the rate of 0.1C per decade over the last 50 years. IPCC has projected warming of about 0.2C per decade for the next two decades. Although there is considerable uncertainty about future, all climate models indicate a rising trend in temperature.  By 2100 a rise of 1.8 to 4.0C is expected. Higher values cannot be ruled out.

 

Impact of Global Warming

 

Rise in atmospheric temperature leads to decrease in yield of crops; forest fires; floods due to higher precipitation; extreme weather leading to increase in the intensity of hurricane/cyclones; rise in sea levels due to the faster rate of melting of ice; glacier melting and disappearance; ocean acidification due to increased level of carbon dioxide; delay in winter and increase in summer span; and adverse impact on natural ecosystems, such as wetlands, mangroves and coral reefs, grasslands and mountain ecosystems; changes in monsoon pattern; and adversely affect agriculture and food security.

 

The rise in temperature will also affect the inland areas, particularly the snow-clad mountains. If the Himalayas melt then it can bring floods to majority of the foothills and plains. Temperatures and seasonal variations are also experienced in crop growing periods.  Winter season in North India is shrinking resulting into shorter duration available for Rabi-crops. Productivity and production of wheat in the country is likely to decrease [Fig-2].

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Fig.2 - Potential Impact of Climate Change on Wheat Production in India 

 

There will be severe changes in cropping pattern. A traditional farmer may not be ready for such eventuality. Untimely rain of erratic intensity are becoming common.

Rise in Sea Level

 

With the increase in temperature volume of water is going to expand. Similarly melting of glaciers and mountain snow will add to the volume of water in sea, resulting in rise in sea level. This phenomenon is becoming a threat to the coastal areas. Already some areas have completely submerged or partially submerged. Projected sea level rise is between 15 – 90 cm. Reports of area loss have been received from Sunderbans of West Bengal and also from Orissa.

 

Mitigating Climate Change

- Role of Cooperatives

 

With change in climate natural disasters like earthquakes, floods, cyclones, typhoons, tsunami, and drought are now occurring at higher frequency. These disasters affect the human and cattle population, leave a disastrous affect on land, water, vegetation of the area. Natural disasters do not recognize any national, political, or regional boundaries, nor do they distinguish between developed and developing countries.

 

Disasters like Tsunami bring various types of problems, for example, cultivable lands becoming barren and saline, loss of human, cattle population, loss of property etc. This and other natural disasters may lead to large migration, thereby putting additional pressure on the available natural resources of that area where the people have migrated. Health and other hazards also pose pressure on relief and rehabilitation measures.

 

Most of the climate changes are considered man-made. Excessive deforestation by any nation can change the rainfall pattern of the area. Therefore, individual efforts with collaborative strategy have to be adopted for minimizing these effects. Climate change and natural disasters are a reality and communities have to prepare in advance to save themselves, agriculture and natural resources.

 

Some initiatives have been taken at the national level to mitigate or reduce the impact of climate change. Though at government level there are initiatives but at the community level they are not visible. Cooperatives are the community-based and member-oriented organizations. In the Principles of Cooperation “Concern for Community” has been highlighted. Therefore, the cooperatives also have a responsibility towards helping the community in preparing for climate change risk management.

 

There is a strong need to be pro-active to take adequate measures. It has to be about creating awareness or developing certain action plans. For initiating any such activities, “Will to Serve” the community is required.

 

There are 580,000 cooperatives in India with a total membership of nearly 380 million individual members. Around 65% of the cooperatives are agriculture-related. Each and every village in the country is linked to cooperatives. A majority of the farmers obtain credit, input supply and marketing services from their cooperatives. Cooperatives in India are broad-based and thus can influence the members and community to take up measures for mitigating the effects of climate change.

 

Action Points for Adoption

 

01        Carry out awareness programmes about ill-effect of climate change on agriculture and prepare for change in cropping pattern to be practiced and introduction of varieties suitable for modified situation;

 

02        Adopt Risk Mitigation Tools e.g., crop insurance, weather insurance, alternative options for livelihood. It is necessary to provide services to member-farmers in agriculture cooperatives so that they are benefited by these risk management tools;

 

03        Take up natural resource conservation activities like afforestation, soil and water conservation;

 

04        Initiate activities which will reduce contribution to greenhouse gases like best management practices in crop production;

 

05        Develop linkages with the related agencies so that the farmers could be informed in advance about the incoming disasters;

 

06        Identification of natural warning system, its documentation and dissemination;

 

07        Create a cooperative hub for networking with already established national and international systems and disseminate information to grassroots level cooperatives;

 

08        Development of village disaster management plans, constitute disaster management committees, village disaster management teams, warning dissemination, rescue and evacuation, first aid, shelter management, damage assessment, counseling, water and sanitation, carcass disposal, relief distribution, training and education of disaster management teams; and creation of disaster management fund.

 

Summing -up

 

Climate change and natural disaster, as has been projected by experts, is not a one-time phenomenon. With the continuing emission of greenhouse gases, reduction in cultivable areas, deforestation, population growth and the lukewarm attitudes of some of the polluting sectors, the effect on the earth and mankind is going to be harsher. There will be strong adverse effect on agriculture and means of livelihood.

 

Agriculture is one sector which would suffer the most. It is, therefore, pertinent that all individuals, farmers or non-farmers must contribute to enable the earth to reenergize itself. The greenhouse effect can be reduced only with the cooperation of everyone.  Agricultural cooperatives have, therefore, a tremendous responsibility to help the earth and the mankind living on it. Cooperatives can also coordinate with the government programmes and develop a “Cooperative Mechanism“ to ensure safety of income of members and of their resources.

 

           

            ----------------------------------------------------------------

 

 

Challenges ClimateChange-dp

June 30 2009