With a majority of farmers practising traditional agriculture which results in considerable greenhouse gas emissions, it’s time to switch to eco-friendly farming that ensures food security and prevents environmental degradation.
In the verdant heartland of India, where agriculture paints the landscape with endless hues of green, lies a stark environmental paradox. The nation – a global agricultural powerhouse, particularly in paddy farming – grapples with the daunting challenge of balancing its monumental task of feeding billions against the escalating greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.
In India, one of the significant contributors to GHG emissions is agriculture. Agriculture and livestock account for 14 percent of India’s gross GHG emissions, which rises to 22 percent, if the electricity used in agriculture is included.
As a fellow of the Emerging India Research Program offered by admissions consulting firm Futureworks, I decided to unravel the intricate balance between agriculture sustaining lives and it being sustainable for our planet; and to highlight the delicate equilibrium between India’s environmental challenge and the global quest for sustainability, and the urgency to transition towards sustainable agriculture.
A majority of the farmers in India continue to practice traditional agriculture, and there lies the problem. One of the traditional practices is the flooding of rice fields.
Nearly 11 percent of the world’s agricultural GHG emissions come from paddy farming, and methane accounts for 30 percent of the emissions, according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).
Flooded rice fields are a significant source of methane. When flooded, anaerobic or oxygen-free conditions are generated in the rice fields. When there’s a lack of oxygen, the organic material in the soil decomposes and releases methane.
India is the world’s second-largest rice grower. Given the area dedicated to paddy farming and the widespread use of flooding, India’s methane emissions are substantial.
Fertilisers, especially synthetic fertilisers heavy in nitrogen, release nitrous oxide (N2O), a potent greenhouse gas. When farmers apply more nitrogen than what the crops can absorb, the nitrogen is transformed into N2O.
Nearly 11 percent of global nitrous oxide is emitted from paddy fields.
Agricultural soils are responsible for around 70 percent of all the N2O emissions worldwide, mainly as a result of using synthetic fertilisers, according to the IPCC. China, India, USA and EU28 are the top four emitters, accounting for 62 percent of the total N2O emissions!
In many regions of India, pre-harvest burning of rice and sugarcane fields is a customary practice to get rid of the dry leaves to make harvesting easier.
India produces 371 million tonnes of gross agricultural residues annually, with wheat and rice constituting 27–36 percent and 51–57 percent respectively. With 77 percent of paddy residue being burned in India, burning is the predominant method of disposing of crop residues.
The burning of crop residue in India contributes significantly to the release of greenhouse gases and other pollutants, according to a study. Black carbon, methane and carbon dioxide (CO2) are all released during this burning process.
Aside from its role in global warming, black carbon also impacts human health and can potentially alter regional climates, particularly the monsoon cycle.
The emissions from agriculture can be significantly reduced by implementing sustainable methods. Some of these methods include a system of rice intensification (SRI), direct seeding of rice and no-till farming. Growing rice cultivars with less unproductive tillers and high root oxidative activity is another option.
Alternate wetting and drying (AWD) is an efficient method that uses much less water than in full flooding of fields. Water management techniques under the SRI method can save irrigation water by up to 40 percent. This in turn reduces methane emissions.
As for crop residues, ex-situ and in-situ disposal techniques offer benefits. In-situ technique mostly involves composting, which enhances the soil health and reduces the need for external inputs.
Traditional ex-situ disposals include using the stalks as animal feed, which makes up only 9 percent of the disposal methods. Domestic applications – which is just 3 percent of disposals – include bedding, thatched roofing and cooking fuel.
New ex-situ applications include power and heat generation, and making bio briquettes. While these are commercial applications that might offer extra revenue streams to the farmers, the choice of method depends on a number of variables, such as, regional agricultural practices, technological accessibility and economic feasibility.
Policymakers and regulatory agencies must devise well-planned initiatives to lower emissions from rice farming. This can aid in developing policies that strike a balance between reducing greenhouse gas emissions and hence global warming, and increasing agricultural productivity.
As India continues to experience high GDP growth, it becomes the responsibility of the state governments to create the necessary incentives for farmers to move away from straw-burning practices.
Furthermore, there can be incentives that encourage the minimal use of synthetic fertilisers.
By promoting awareness, implementing policies, supporting research and incentivising farmers to adopt eco-friendly techniques, India can pave the way for a more sustainable and environmentally responsible agricultural sector, aligning with global efforts to combat climate change.
Participating in the Emerging India Research Program has been a profoundly transformative experience, significantly enriching my understanding of rural India’s complexities and challenges.
Through the immersive fieldwork of this programme – designed for students passionate about rural India’s changing landscape – I gained firsthand insights into rural life and developed my analytical skills.
I learned not only how traditional agricultural practices contribute significantly to greenhouse gas emissions, but also how eco-friendly farming techniques can be adopted to minimise environmental degradation. If India ensures food security through eco-friendly agricultural production, it will be a sustainable practice that the world can emulate.
The lead image at the top shows a farmer practising traditional agriculture which results in considerable greenhouse gas emissions. (photo courtesy Wikimedia Commons)
Aarav Valrani is a grade 11 student at the American School of Dubai. He has a profound passion for labor relations and sustainability practices and participated in the competitive Emerging India Research Program last summer.
