Adaptation and climate change: Challenges for doubling the farmers income

Indian agriculture faces high degree of sensitivity to climate change, which is compounded in areas of extreme poverty and high dependency on agriculture. 58% of our population is dependent on agriculture and 85% of the total farmers are small and marginal farmers. Climate changeis already making adversely impact on farmer's income. It is already evident in a number of ways. Consistent warming trends and more frequent and intense extreme weather events such as droughts, cyclones, floods, and hailstorms have been observed across The study shows that use of technologies like change in varieties, change in irrigation system, use drought tolerant varieties, mulching and mixed farming practices, use of bio fertilizers and pesticides, watershed management, change in land use and new farm management practices and agriculture insurance etc can be double the farmers income in changing climatic conditions. Climate change can have a direct or indirect effect on the price of agricultural imports. The projected impacts are likely to further magnify decline in productivity of many crops with impact on food security. Global food prices will rise due to imbalance of food production and balance of trade. This requires a serious attention on adaptation and mitigation strategies to overcome the problems of climate change for doubling the farmers ’income by 2022.