India emits roughly ~3.4 billion tons of greenhouse gasesor GHGs (includes CO₂, methane, nitrous oxide etc.) annually, about 7–8% of the global total. India is the 3rd largest emitter globally, after China and United States. While the energy sector is the top emitter of GHGs contributing about 75-76% of the total emissions, agriculture sector contributes to roughly 14-18% of the GHG emissions in India. Industrial processes and waste account for the remaining GHG emissions. Within the energy sector, more than half of the GHG emissions come from power generation, a quarter from industry (fuel used in factories), about 14% from transport and 4% from residential (households).
Considering that power generation is highly regulated and organized, along with the industries- which are also highly regulated and fairly organized, a bulk of the GHG emissions from the energy sector falls within the purview of government either directly or through regulations for the organized industrial and transportation sectors.
Agriculture on the contrary is highly disintegrated with more than 150 million farmers in India of which roughly 125-130 million are small and marginal farmers. Juxtapose these numbers with the total methane emissions of 39.8 Tg/yr (teragrams per year) from agriculture and allied activities in India, and the complexity of the issue becomes evident.
Need
All agriculture activities and all crops do not contribute equally to GHG emissions. It is primarily methane and nitrous oxide that are emitted from most of the agriculture activities. Among these activities and practices, one needs to identify those crops and practices that contribute to high methane emissions and that can be comparatively easily changed.
Roughly 50% of the methane emissions from farming and allied activities come from agriculture, whereas the remaining come from biomass burning, waste management, wetlands, etc. For a significant reduction of methane emissions, rice (paddy) is one crop that needs a closer look as italone contributes to 30-35% of the methane emitted within the agriculture sector in India.
The challenge is that a majority of the small and marginal farmers do subsistence farming. Paddy is a crop that provides food and nutrition security and for those who can produce surplus, it provides additional income too. They cannot stop growing paddy just because it leads to methane emissions. Therefore, some incentive or an additional layer of food/income security will have to be added for them to even to consider adopting alternative practices or switching crops.
Thankfully, there are scientifically proven agriculture practices that can substantially reduce methane emissions from paddy cultivation without adversely impacting production.Use of methanotrophs is also a potential way to reduce methane emissions.New varieties of paddy, with substantially lower methane emission, are being tested. Testing and mass scale adoption of such varieties may take a few years. Multiple factors such as price, impact on soil health, need for fertilizers, etc. will also affect their adoption.
Direct Seeded Rice (DSR) is a practice that has been successfully tested by multiple agencies at many places and is ready for rapid scaling. There is no cost impact on the farmers and the productivity per acre is often higher compared to the current practices followed by farmers. It is a win-win proposition for the famers and otherstakeholders- primarily government as it has made certain GHG reduction commitments under the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and net-zero target by 2027.
Future
So, the question is what should be done?
Millions of farmers, especially those who grow paddy, have to be mobilized, sensitized, and trained on agriculture practices, use of equipment and tools, and motivated to diversify to additional crops that can help reduce GHG emissions, improve soil health, and enhance food security and increase income.
These changes are not easy to effect. Farmers follow farming practices that are passed from one generation to the next. The current practices have continued for generations. In case of paddy these have proved to be remunerative for a majority of the farmers. Convincing farmers learn something new on the basis of scientific facts and arguments and follow it, is not easy, more so when it is directly related to their livelihood. Slow, consistent efforts to bring about the desired change requires regular contact, persuasion rather than compulsion, built-in incentives, and proof of concept through demonstration are required. All of these need time and physical presence amongst them. They must trust the people who suggest the new practices and use of tools and equipment, etc. This in turn implies that a large number of field level workers, trained and dedicated, are deployed in villages.
People’s Action for National Integration (PANI) is working with 50 grassroots level NGOs in eastern Uttar Pradesh to build their capacities on climate change. A mechanism has been developed and structures put in place that these NGOs work with small and marginal farmers in their respective areas to enhance their knowledge and nudge them to adopt practices that enhance their resilience to climate change. Additional income by linking these farmers to carbon markets is also one of the objectives. Currently, PANI-through these partner NGOs- is working with more than 500,000 farmers. A loose alliance is already in place but it needs to be formalized and given a definitive structure to help rapid expansion. The aim is to take the benefits of these trainings on practices and tools to one million farmers through 200 NGOs by the end of 2027.
Currently, the focus is on Uttar Pradesh as the methodology and practices will have to be customized based on the agro-climatic zones, crop cycles, and cultivation practices. PANI is in contact with multiple stakeholders seeking ideas, inputs, and technical partnerships. However, these are limited to people and organizations that PANI already knows or those that introduced by a common contact.
Organizations working in this domain are welcome to share their experiences and learning. However, to disseminate knowledge to a larger number of small & marginal farmers, establish more demonstration plots, conduct training sessions and workshops, and provide handholding support during the transition to alternative practices, financial support is needed. To this end, support from donor agencies, philanthropies, and foundations will definitely help.