The Government of India has reported significant reductions in GHG emissions from agriculture during the last two decades while increasing food production manifold in the country. This is of special interest, for it underlines the fact that India can ensure food security with minimized environmental impacts.
According to data provided by Kirti Vardhan Singh, the Union Minister of State for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, agriculture shares are continually on a downward trend. Agriculture contributed 23% of the country’s total emissions in 2000. In 2010, this had come down to 18%, and it has further dropped to 13.44 % in 2019. The data was part of the Third National Communication report that India submitted in 2023 to the UNFCCC.
In the same period, food production of India has increased considerably. The country was producing around 200 million metric tonnes of food in 2000, which crossed 329 MMT in the year 2023. This shows that by 2023, food production of the country would have increased by more than 64 per cent in two decades. Simultaneous increase in food output with a reduction in GHG emissions clearly shows that India has been on the right track for striking a balance between agricultural productivity and environment sustainability.
While this, in 2019, the aggregate greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture stood at 420.97 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent. The biggest contributors to these are Methane generation through rice cultivation and Nitrous oxide emissions on account of fertilizers. While these are two major contributors to the emissions through agriculture worldwide, how to manage and limit them is something wherein, India has takers for its experiences.
A huge share of the agricultural emissions of India come from food grains like rice, wheat, pulses, and coarse cereals, which occupied 65% of the total area harvested in 2019. The government has utilized several options for the reduction of such emissions through promoting balanced and more efficient fertilization, crop diversification, and sustainable agriculture practices.
This decrease in agricultural emissions testifies to India’s commitment to mitigate the effects of climate change while maintaining high and robust agricultural growth. That is an extremely significant feat for a country in which agriculture plays a vital role in both the economy and livelihood of millions. The progress that India has made presents developing countries with a good example in the dual challenge entailed in raising food production to meet the rising population’s needs while bringing down environmental impacts.
Policy measures adopted by the government and complemented by technological innovativeness and agricultural practices that are sustainable have been instrumental in bringing down the agricultural emissions. Focusing on reducing agriculture’s carbon footprint without affecting its production capacity was an indication of India’s calibrated approach toward balancing concerns for the environment with those pertaining to the economy.
At a time when the challenges of climate change are battering the world, India is rapidly turning out to be a role model on how to decrease agricultural greenhouse gas emissions. Its approach shows that it is quite possible to make substantive gains for the environment without really sacrificing food security. Indeed, as other countries work toward doing so, India’s experience serves as a case study in large-scale sustainability within agriculture.
Source: Indian Government, Third National Communication report to UNFCCC, 2012
Credits: Content based on data presented by Union Minister of State for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Kirti Vardhan Singh.