The erratic pre-monsoon rainfall pattern coupled with unbearable heat has signalled more unpredictability in the climatic conditions in Assam and other states in the northeast region. Poor irrigation coverage has eroded the resilience of rain-dependent poor and marginalised farmers, and new challenges to food security are looming large over the region. The maximum temperature in Guwahati touched 38.6 degrees Celsius on Tuesday, while the Regional Meteorological Centre, Guwahati, has forecast that uncomfortable hot and humid weather conditions are likely to prevail over many areas in the region over the next 48 hours, with temperatures four to six degrees Celsius above normal. The state received 38% less rainfall during the pre-monsoon period from March 1 to May 31, which led to swathes of farm fields lying fallow. In sharp contrast, excess pre-monsoon rainfall that destroyed standing crops in many areas of the state last year indicates that erratic rainfall has become the new normal due to climate change’s impact. For farmers to cope with such unpredictable and extreme weather conditions, their dependence on rain for farming needs to be reduced, and their accessibility to flood and draught-resistant varieties at an affordable cost must increase. The State Focus Paper on Assam for 2023–24, published by the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD), highlights that agriculture contributes 20% of revenue to the Gross State Domestic Product and provides livelihood support to about 70% of the population in the state. Other key agricultural data highlighted in the NABARD focus paper are that more than 85 percent of farmers are either small or marginal, with an average land holding of just about 0.36 hectares, and the total land under cultivation is 37.95 percent of the total geographical land area of the state. The distribution pattern of pre-monsoon and monsoon rain, therefore, plays a crucial role in agricultural production and productivity. It also highlights the paradox of Assam having rich and diverse soil conditions, which are very conducive to agriculture, but agricultural productivity suffering due to unpredictable weather conditions with erratic rainfall and impediments like floods, soil erosion, etc. The contribution of the agriculture sector has also come down marginally due to various factors like soil, river bank erosion from the ever-widening Brahmaputra River, conversion of agricultural land because of urbanisation, industrialization, expansion of roadways, and other infrastructural development activities, which need to be factored in while formulating policies aimed at increasing the resilience of farmers. The ultimate irrigation potential of the state, according to the report, is estimated at 27 lakh hectares. “It is planned to irrigate 17 lakh hectares, ten lakh hectares from surface water resources, seven lakh hectares from ground water sources through minor irrigation schemes, and ten lakh hectares through major and medium irrigation projects,” it adds. The reality check, however, presents a gloomy picture. Only 25% of the state’s cultivable land has been brought under irrigation, which implies that for the rest, about 75% of cultivable land, farmers are dependent on rain. The figures explain how drastic changes in rainfall patterns and extreme weather conditions make agricultural activities non-remunerative, and members of farm families are compelled to migrate to cities and urban growth centres within and outside the state in search of alternative livelihoods. Ironically, the state is endowed with huge water resources from the Brahmaputra, Barak, and their tributaries and a large number of natural water bodies. More pressure on groundwater for irrigation by using shallow tubewells has exposed the vulnerability of farmers because of falling water tables in different parts of the state. Unless the irrigation problem is addressed, the doubling of farmers’ income, even with improved paddy procurement at the minimum support price, will remain unachievable. This gives rise to policy debates about whether, instead of utilising taxpayers’ money to provide free rice to poor families, spending the amount to achieve optimum irrigation potential is more prudent. The issue of the failure of the state to take advantage of various central government schemes for increasing irrigation coverage, rampant corruption, and anomalies in the utilisation of funds allocated for irrigation projects cannot be overlooked. Apart from irrigation, farmers getting flood and draught-resistant varieties is critical to making farming resilient to extreme weather conditions. For some residents in Guwahati city and different towns, coping mechanisms against unbearable hot conditions are limited to individual cooling solutions, such as air conditioners at homes or buying a new car with a stronger AC, not realising that by doing so they are only adding to the problem through the release of more greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. Drastic changes in weather conditions call for tree planting activities going beyond the optics on a single day of World Environment Day but sparing thought for caring for mother earth every day. The “House Owner’s Guide to Alternative Roof Cooling Solutions” of the National Disaster Management Authority provides alternative solutions. Adopting such solutions can help build better resilience than space cooling solutions like air conditioners.
Course Purchase Query 