How is Climate Change Affecting Small Farmers in India?
Q1: What climate-related challenges are smallholder farmers facing in India?
A1: Smallholder farmers in India are encountering an increase in droughts and prolonged periods of high temperatures. These changes in weather patterns are affecting their agricultural practices.
Q2: How do smallholder farmers expect climate change to impact their crops and farms?
A2: Four in 10 smallholder farmers anticipate increased crop failure (43%) and reduced yields (42%).
Three in 10 farmers (31%) expect higher pest pressure due to climate change.
About 22% of smallholders foresee challenges related to the cost and availability of labor, while 21% are concerned about rising fertilizer costs.
Q3: What risk mitigation measures are small farmers considering?
A3: One in four farmers believes that access to crop insurance would be the most beneficial risk mitigation measure.
One in five farmers suggests better infrastructure, such as irrigation, tracks, and drainage, would be beneficial.
Approximately 16% of smallholders emphasize measures to protect and improve soil health to support the resilience and sustainability of farming activities.
Q4: What revenue growth opportunities do smallholder farmers see for their farms?
A4: 46% of smallholder farmers highlight innovation in seeds, traits, crop protection, and traits as the biggest revenue growth opportunity.
12% mention crop diversification.
Around 5% of smallholders also mention carbon farming and credits.
Q5: What digital farming practices are small farmers adopting or planning to use?
A5: 47% of smallholder farmers use or plan to use weather monitoring tools.
22% use or plan to use digital marketing tools to manage outputs.
13% prefer drone sprays.
21% use or plan to use digital mapping and planning tools.
Only 6% of smallholder farmers use or plan to use digital application devices such as sensors.
Q6: How do small farmers feel about the future of farming in India?
A6: Nearly 82% of smallholder farmers, regardless of age, gender, farm size, or farming practices, have a positive outlook on the future of farming for themselves.
65% of smallholders intend to pass their farms on to the next generation.
Climate change is posing challenges for small farmers in India, impacting crop yields, pest pressure, and the overall agricultural landscape. While there are concerns, small farmers are also exploring mitigation measures and digital technologies to adapt to changing conditions and ensure a sustainable farming future.
