Conservation agriculture: an option to

overcome

agricultural crisis in Kerala

K. Shadananan Nair

Nansen Environmental Research Centre (India)

&

K. R. Rethikala

Bishop Kurialachery College, India

•Kerala: - Densely populated

small state in the SW corner

of India

•Area 38864 Km2 (1.18%

of India)

•Population (2011) > 32M

(3.43%) of India

•Decadal growth rate of

population - 9.42%

State is rich in rainfall and water resources:

3000 to 7000mm rainfall

44 rivers – their numerous tributaries, canals etc

Water potential not yet fully utilised and irrigation not well

developed - 75% rainwater flows into the Sea,

unutilised

In spite of heavy rainfall and rich cultivable land, Kerala is not

self sufficient in food (produces only 25% of requirement)

Depends on neighbouring states for vegetables and cereals

High transportation cost

Presence of preservation chemicals and pesticides - health

problem

Vested political interests spoil agriculture:

Land reforms act made thousands of farmers landless overnight -80%

landlords quit agriculture

Politically motivated strikes for unaffordable wages made farming

unprofitable

Sudden strikes during the pre-monsoon harvest period and deliberate

delay inprocurement by the agencies spoil large amount of rice

almost every year

Political party even banned traditional harvest songs

Thousands quit agriculture - shortage of labourers, but trade unions

oppose farm machinery

More than half of the paddy fields have been destroyed by the real

estate lobbies - reduced crop production, worsened floods and

droughts

Changing climate:

Increasing rainfall seasonality – water shortage during pre-

monsoon months

Increasing rainfall intensity: floods/landslides

Increasing convection: convective clouds with large rain drops-

erosion of surface soil

Rising temperature – more loss by evaporation

Failure in northeast monsoon (end of rainy season) –

prolonged dry season, less groundwater recharge

Climate Models predict slight increase (0.2 C) in temperature

and annual rainfall (5-10%) in 2 decades

Increase in precipitation may not compensate for the

reduction in soil moisture due to evaporation

groundwater level depleted by 1 to 4 metres in 2 decades

seven once perennial rivers became seasonal in last century

20% of water bodies were lost in last 2 decades

Capacity of major reservoirs considerably reduced

Large scale degradation of land and waterUncontrolled illegal sand mining in rivers and watersheds:

Mining alters hydrological regime while enhancing silt movement

Millions of hectors of natural forests cleared for tea/rubber/teak plantations:landslides and floods

reduces the water storage capacity of soil

reduces storage capacity of reservoirs

soil erosion in watersheds and sedimentation in rivers

reduces summer flow in rivers

Sand/clay/gravel quarries and special economic zones destroy paddy fields

Water disputes haltered agricultural development for decades:

Major disputes are over water allocation for agriculture

Issues worsen when monsoons fail

New disputes may arise under a changing climate

Socio-economic issues associated with setbaccks in agriculture:

Shortage of reliable food

Hiking price of food

Conflict over food allocation

Rural unemployment - - growing poverty - urban migration – conflicts

Shutting down of rural bank - farmers turn to moneylenders

Drought and debt made indebted farmers to commit suicide

Mental Illness identified as key Killer by 2025 WHO

Challenges ahead:

Inflow of migrants-rising food demand

Hiking price of seed, fertilizer, pesticides

Climate extremes - shifting rainfall pattern/characteristics, extremes

in temperature, severe weather

Increasing vulnerability to tropical storms and rising sea level

(1mm/year) –threat to coastal agriculture

Change in government policy favouring industries - traditional basis

of economy shifts from agriculture to industries

Acquisition of land and introduction of genetically modified

varieties and monopoly in distribution by big firms – small

farmers unable to compete

Shrinking of farm area – encroachment by industries, real estate

Urbanization

Intensive agriculture and overuse of fertilizers-land becomes infertileNational river linking project – water diversion will badly affect

Kerala

Rising price of fossil fuel - cost of operating farm machinery, cost

of transportation and price of fertilizers increases

New banking protocol by the Reserve Bank of India for the

cooperative sector may bring agriculture lending to a

complete halt and render

Financial crisis has become a food crisis - rising unemployment,

falling incomes and high food price put enormous pressure on

poor and vulnerable groups

Another green revolution necessary to feed the millions – but,

availability of land and water decreases

Area prone to malaria will increase by at least 10% by 2080.

India has lost millions of DALYs in recent years (disability-adjusted life

years) lost due to malaria (World Bank)

Endemic regions of

malaria (1980 to 2000)

Regions likely to be affected by

malaria as per climate change

projections (HadRM2runs: IS92a

scenario-India)Bhattacharya et al., CURRENT SCIENCE, 2006

Health risk of workers:

Increasing temperature-sunburns affect working class

Increasing casualties associated with lightning

Increasing range of vector borne diseases

Introduction of conservation agriculture has proved the sustainability,

economic benefits and increase in production, especially in rice farming

Zero Budget Natural Farming (holistic agriculture) becoming popular

•Counters the commercial expenditure and market dependency of

farmers for the inputs like fertilisers and pesticides

•Involves locally obtainable natural bio-degradable materials

•Combines scientific knowledge of ecology and modern technology

with traditional farming practices based on naturally occurring

biological processes

•Uses natural pesticides and fertilizers

The measures use the natural environment to enhance agricultural

productivity:

•Planting legumes to fix nitrogen into the soil

•Green manure and composting for natural production of nutrients in

the soil

•Encouraging natural insect predators

•Crops rotation to confuse pests and renew soil

•Use of natural materials such as potassium bicarbonate and mulches to

control disease and weeds

•Erosion control with local plants

"Jeevamrutha" (Nectar of Life), natural fertilizer (developed by

Subhash Palekar)

Mixture of cow dung, cow urine, jaggery, flour, soil and water

Seed and plant diseases are treated with cheap easily available materials

like buttermilk, black pepper, neem and tobacco

For I acre: 10 kg of cow dung, 5 to 10 litres of cow urine, 2 kg of

jaggery, 2 kg of flour of green gram, black gram or cow pea with

a handful of soil and 200 litres of water.

Allow fermentation for two days

Stir twice a day for two days before using it

Apply thrice for a month

. Agricultural land should be mulched with dried grass, rotting leaves

and twigs

The dung generated by one cow is sufficient to produce "Jeevamrutha"

for 30 acres.

Can be used for any crop

Pokkali farming: oldest unique saline tolerant long stemmed rice variety

that is cultivated in an organic way in the water-logged coastal regions:

Highly environment-friendly

High medicinal value

Rice is cultivated from June to early November when the salinity

level of the water in the fields is low.

From mid-November to mid-April, when the salinity is high, prawn

farming takes over

The prawn seedlings, which swim in from the sea and the backwaters

after the rice harvest

Feed on the leftovers of the harvested crop

Sluice gates are used to control the water flow to the fields

Only fertilizer/manure to rice is the nutrients from the prawns’ excrement

and other remnants

Recognised as a Globally Important Agriculture Heritage System (GIAHS)

by FAO: unique, below sea level farming practice and traditional knowledge

in water management developed ingeniously over a century

500Km2 of the total 1100Km2 area lies 0.6 to 2.2 m below sea level

30% area is inhabited - most of the inhabited area was recovered from

water

Large area under rice cultivation - vital in maintaining food security and

providing livelihood to millions

Major project to extend and multiply rice farming is under implementation

Below Sea Level Farming

Vembanad - Kol Wetland. (Ramsar No. 1214)

Recent steps by the government:

Promotion of low cost, locally available traditional technologies in soil

and water conservation

Agreements with banks for agricultural loans with low interest and

simplified formalities

Labour bank for women to promote rice farming

Promoting agriculture through self help groups (SHGs, mostly women),

Schemes for land protection and agricultural expansion through

rural employment schemes

Arrangement for subsidised supply for seeds and fertilizers

Popularisation of modern agricultural technologies that minimises the

use of water and new concept of utilising inexpensive biofertilizers

Inclusion of environmental protection in curriculum

Vermicompost production in urban centres – employment for women

Revival and of traditional landuse practices through rural employment guarantee scheme

Heaps of sand to trap water, recharge groundwater, prepare the soil and remove weeds

Done before NE monsoon (end of rainy season)

National Action Plan on Climate Change:

Initiatives in the agriculture sector

Developing watersheds in rainfed areas

Implementing drought-proofing measures

Drought-resistant varieties

Crop diversification

On-farm water-efficient technologies

Introducing a system of credits and loans to farmers

National Agricultural Insurance Scheme

Resource conserving technologies for crop production

Response to extreme climate events

Community-level awareness and strengthening capacity to address

risks of disasters

State-level disaster management authorities (SDMAs)

Hurdles in climate change impact mitigation measures:

Lack of finance

Lack of public awareness

Poor information system/unreliable data banks

Lack of adequate planning and vision

Lacks of efficient disaster management programme and task force

Beurocracy/slow government machinery

Fragmented organizational structures

Non-cooperation among agencies and Government departments

Weak administrative and legal mechanisms

Corruption/misappropriation of money

Vested political/regional interests: rules/ regulations become farce

Social issues: conflict among different groups

Delay in projects – 60% projects have been lagging for several

years, slowing down development and causing waste of money

Recommendations…

A comprehensive, frequently updated policy for climate change adaptation

and mechanism for effective implementation

Enforcement of law to control encroachment into paddy fields and wetlands

Awareness to farmers on new agricultural practices, new drought- resistant or

pest- resistant seeds, crop diversification, etc

Joint multi-state projects in agriculture to solve water disputes

Insurance against climate extremes and simplification of procedures

Promotion and coordination of traditional and environment friendly

technologies in agriculture and water conservation

Schemes to attract young generation for agriculture

Include labourers in relief packages to tackle farm crisis

Promotion of upper land farming (around households)

Special economic package and technical assistance to small/marginal farmers

Better storage facilities for seeds and grains (poor storage facility of FCI-25%

consumed by rats)

Timely procurement of products

Encourage use of old traditional rice varieties – tolerate floods/droughts, pest

resistant

Tourism promotion in regions of wetland agriculture – income to farmers

Exploit the changes in climate:

Floodwater may be stored or diverted to dry zones or may be stored in

abandoned quarries

Based on the shift in regional climate, region of farming, time of farming

and type of crop may be changed

“On a scale of 0 to 10, India scores a poor 0.5 in preparedness for the

effects of climate change that could include severe water scarcity, floods,

drought and mass migration” - Rajendra Pachauri, Chairman, IPCC

“Current policies affecting water use, management, and development in India

are unresponsive to changing climate,”’ Prof. Lal, WG II, IPCC Report

potential high impact of climate change on the performance

of climate sensitive sectors necessitates finding suitable

adaptation options as part of a comprehensive climate

change policy

Climate change has already

started affecting the poor. Future

strategies to combat climate

change will be more effective if it

is linked to development and

poverty alleviation, ensuring

food security

Photo courtesy: AFP