The Hindu Editorial Analysis- 25th November 2023 | Current Affairs & Hindu Analysis: Daily, Weekly & Monthly - UPSC PDF Download

Need for climate-smart agriculture in India

Why in News?

The two most important issues facing humanity in the 21st century are climate change and food insecurity. Some of the ongoing effects of climate change, such as heat waves, flash floods, droughts, and cyclones, are negatively influencing lives and livelihoods.

• The world is on the cusp of transformation to make the world free of hunger by 2030 and deliver promises for Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), with strong cooperation and partnership between governments, citizens and the private sector. 

Climate Crisis and Hunger

• Climate Change and Food System Interlink:
  • The global food system is profoundly affected by the climate crisis, impacting every stage from production to consumption.
  • It leads to the destruction of land and crops, the death of livestock, depletion of fisheries, and disruptions in transportation to markets, resulting in adverse effects on food production, availability, diversity, access, and safety.
  • The climate crisis has a reciprocal relationship with food systems, as the food sector is responsible for approximately 30% of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions.
• COP26 and UN Food Systems Summit:
  • The COP26 followed the pioneering UN Food Systems Summit, which served as a wake-up call, highlighting the inequality and brokenness of food systems, with 811 million people experiencing bedtime hunger.
• Climate-Hunger Crisis Current Scenario:
  • The goal of ending world hunger and malnutrition by 2030 faces significant challenges due to the worsening climate crisis.
  • The impact is magnified by the COVID-19 pandemic, doubling the population experiencing chronic hunger from 130 million to 270 million.
  • The UN World Food Programme predicts that a 2°C rise in average global temperature from pre-industrial levels will result in an additional 189 million people facing hunger.
  • According to the latest IPCC Report, the climate crisis not only affects food production and livelihoods but also poses a threat to nutrition through failures in multiple breadbaskets.
• Vulnerable, Least Emitter but Worst Sufferer:
  • Vulnerable communities, primarily dependent on subsistence agriculture, fishing, and livestock, and contributing minimally to the climate crisis, will continue to bear the brunt of impacts with limited resources to mitigate the effects.
  • The top 10 most food-insecure countries, despite contributing only 0.08% of global carbon emissions, face threats such as crop failures, water scarcity, and declining nutrition for those reliant on agriculture, fishing, and livestock.
  • Due to the absence of social protection measures like food safety nets, those experiencing food insecurity are compelled to rely on humanitarian aid for survival.
• WFP’s Initiative for Climate Crisis and Food Security:
  • The WFP is actively collaborating with communities to adapt to the changing climate, which poses a threat to their ability to grow food, secure incomes, and withstand shocks.
  • The WFP has provided support to 39 governments, assisting them in realizing their national climate ambitions.
  • In 2020, the WFP implemented climate risk management solutions in 28 countries, benefiting more than six million people, enhancing their preparedness for climate shocks and facilitating faster recovery.
  • In India, the WFP, in collaboration with the Environment Ministry, is planning to develop a best practice model on adaptation and mitigation, with potential support from the Adaptation Fund.

Way Forward

• Building Resilience for the Poor:
  • Prioritizing adaptation and resilience-building for impoverished and vulnerable communities is crucial for ensuring food security.
  • The escalating impacts of climate extremes on people and nature, intensified by rising temperatures, underscore the urgent need to scale up action and support (finance, capacity-building, and technology transfer).
  • This scaling up aims to enhance adaptive capacity, strengthen resilience, and reduce vulnerability to climate change, aligning with the best available science and considering the priorities of developing country parties.
• Role of India:
  • India plays a significant role, with substantial policy work at both national and state levels.
  • The focus is on transforming food systems to be more inclusive and sustainable, fostering higher farm incomes and nutrition security.
  • Necessary steps include diversifying cropping patterns towards millets, pulses, oilseeds, and horticulture for more equitable water distribution and sustainable, climate-resilient agriculture.
• Adaptation Finance:
  • Welcoming the recent pledges by developed countries to enhance climate finance for adaptation in developing nations.
  • However, current climate finance levels and stakeholder engagement remain insufficient to address worsening climate change impacts.
  • There's a call for multilateral development banks, financial institutions, and the private sector to mobilize finance at a larger scale, particularly for adaptation.
  • Exploration of innovative approaches and instruments to mobilize finance for adaptation from private sources is encouraged.
• Multi-Pronged Approach for Tackling Climate-Hunger Crisis:
  • Prioritizing the creation of resilient livelihoods and food security solutions to protect vulnerable communities.
  • Promoting the adaptation of climate-resilient food crops, like millets, to ensure nutritional security.
  • Empowering women with control and ownership of production processes and assets, enhancing value addition, and encouraging local solutions.
  • Fostering a resilient agriculture sector through sustainable opportunities, access to finance, and innovation for small-holder farmers, coupled with climate information and preparedness.
  • Building capacity and knowledge among civil society and governments for vulnerability analysis to improve food security by addressing the link between food security and climate risk.
• Sustainable Food Systems:
  • Emphasizing the need for sustainability in production, value chains, and consumption.
  • Promoting climate-resilient cropping patterns and advocating for cash transfers instead of input subsidies to encourage sustainable agriculture.
• Role of Non-Agriculture Sector:
  • Highlighting the potential of labor-intensive manufacturing and services to alleviate pressure on agriculture.
  • Acknowledging that income from agriculture is insufficient for smallholders and informal workers.
  • Advocating for the strengthening of rural MSMEs and the food processing sector as part of the solution.

Conclusion

Reimagining food systems requires looking at food systems through the prism of climate change adaptation and mitigation, which must also entail making them resilient to climate change and pandemics while making them green and sustainable.