vue - Dr. Rajeet Dutta, District Agriculture Officer, Dibrugarh on climate change impact on agriculture

Climate change is almost always thought of as a monster. While this is true to a great extent, it may not be all too bad says Dr. Rajeet Dutta, District Agriculture Officer, Dibrugarh District. In some cases, it may also benefit crop cultivation. An increase in temperature may suit some crops, but the accompanying increase in evaporation of water would leave less moisture available for plant growth. Some crops like wheat and rice grow better in higher temperatures, but other plants such as maize and sugarcane do not. This may then lead to food shortages. Again, increase in the carbon dioxide concentration could show up in increased plant growth rate. Though the effect of climate change in agriculture is uncertain, it is thought that crop production would be reduced in some parts of the world while it would increase in others, he expounded. Drought, he said, could also be a blessing in disguise as it may make people realize that summer rainfall is an asset and motivate them to opt for water conservation. It could also compel them to go for crop diversification, a possible way of adaptation. He also suggested System of Rice Intensification (SRI), improvising traditional water conservation methods blending with modern technologies, creating seed villages, growing drought/flood tolerant as well as short duration varieties of crops among others as various ways of adaptation in agriculture.