Nutrition In A Warmer World

• At the?Hiroshima Summit 2023,?the?G7 nations?stressed that the peak for global?GreenHouse Gas (GHG)?emissions should be reached by?2025.

INSIGHTS ON THE ISSUE

Context

Group of Seven (G7):

• It is an?intergovernmental?organization that was formed in?1975.
• The bloc meets annually?to discuss issues of common interest like global economic governance, international security and energy policy.
• The G7 countries are the?UK, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the US.
• All the G7 countries?and India are a part of?G20.
• The G7 does not have a formal constitution?or a fixed headquarters.
• The decisions taken by leaders during annual summits are?non-binding.

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Major purpose of the G-7:

• It is to discuss and deliberate?on international economic issues.
• It sometimes acts in concert to help resolve other global problems, with a special focus on economic issues.

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Other commitments:

• Acceleration Agenda” for G7 countries?to reach net-zero emissions by around?2040
• It urged emerging economies to do so by around?2050.
• China?has committed to net zero by?2060?and?India?by?2070.

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Impacts of climate change:

• Severe costs?are likely to be inflicted in terms of human lives and livelihoods, especially for those working in the agriculture sector
• India has the largest workforce (45.6 percent in 2021-22)?engaged in agriculture amongst G20 countries.
• It may be disproportionate for India.
• The World Meteorological Organisation (WMO)?has forecast that global near-surface temperatures are likely to increase by?1(one point one)°C?to?1.8(one point eight)°C?annually from?2023?to?2027.
• It anticipates that temperatures will exceed?5(one point five)°C?above pre-industrial levels for at least one year within this period.
• According to the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD),?India experienced its fifth hottest year on record in 2022..
• Indian agriculture faces a double whammy:
• It has to feed the largest population (1.42(one point four two)billion?in?2023?and likely to be?67(one point six seven)billion by 2050).

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What can Indian policymakers do?

• Focusing on?agricultural research, development, education and extension (ARDE).
• Research at ICRIER?indicates that investing in agri-R&D yields much greater returns (2(eleven point two)compared to every rupee spent on say the fertilizer subsidy, power subsidy, education or roads.
• Increased emphasis on ARDE?can help achieve higher agricultural production even in the face of climate change.
• ARDE is critical for improving resource use efficiency,?especially for natural resources such as soil, water, and air.
• The development of seeds?that are more heat resistant.
• Precision agriculture,?such as?drip irrigation, can result in large water savings.
• Implementing sensor-based irrigation systems,?for example,?enables automated control,?improving resource use efficiency.
• Fertigation and development of nano-fertilizers?can save on the fertilizer subsidy and reduce its carbon footprint.
• Implementing innovative farming practices?and/or products will help more efficient use of water and other natural resources, resulting in higher output with fewer inputs, while lowering GHG emissions.
• Mulching(Research-Borlaug Institute for South Asia (BISA):?shows that mulching not only contributes to higher soil organic carbon (SOC) but also saves on water and reduces GHG emissions.
• Scaling up experiments is critical?and with larger allocations of funds.

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ARDE analysis( since 2005-06)

• It reveals that in absolute terms, the total expenditure has increased from?$0.91(zero point nine one)billion?in the triennium ending (TE) in?2008?to $2(two point two)billion?in the TE 2020.
• The research intensity (RI) (ARDE as a percentage of agri-GDP)?has experienced an upswing from?55(zero point five five)percent in 2005-06?to its peak of?0.70(zero point seven zero)percent in?2010-11, before declining to?0.48(zero point four eight)percent?in?2019-20.
• Allocation of ARDE by sector: There is a skewed distribution towards the crop husbandry sector
• Relative share has marginally increased?from 75 percent to 76 percent between?TE 2008 and TE 2020.
• The shares for soil, water conservation, and forestry?have declined from?5 percent to 2 percent.
• The shares for animal husbandry, dairy development, and fisheries sectors have?decreased?from?11 percent to 8 percent
• Despite the value of livestock?having substantially increased in the overall value of agri-produce.

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ARDE:

• It stands for?Agricultural Research, Development, Education, and Extension
• It plays a crucial role in addressing the challenges?faced by the agriculture sector, particularly in the context of climate change.

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Importance of ARDE:

• Climate Resilience: scientists and experts can identify crops and varieties through research and development efforts
• Resource Efficiency: By focusing on research and innovation, it aims to optimize the use of key resources like water, soil, and energy.
• Enhanced Productivity:?Developing high-yielding crop varieties, improving agronomic practices, and disseminating knowledge and best practices through education and extension programs.
• Sustainable Agriculture:?ARDE focuses on reducing reliance on chemical inputs, minimizing soil degradation, preserving biodiversity, and promoting organic farming.

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Way Forward

• The imbalance needs urgent correction,?especially because much (54 per cent) of the GHG emissions within agriculture come from the livestock sector.
• It is crucial to acknowledge?that despite the expenditure on?ARDE
• The overall RI in agriculture?falls short of the target of “1 percent of the agricultural gross value added (AGVA)”?recommended by the Government of India’s as well as the?Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO).
• To accomplish this,?India needs to almost double its budgetary allocations for ARDE.
• If the Union government can reduce its fertilizer subsidy, and state governments their power subsidy, and redirect those savings to agri-R&D, ensuring research intensity to be at least 1 percent.
• The results would be much better?in terms of food and nutritional security in the face of climate change.
• It requires political courage and innovative policies?that ensure farmers incomes go up during this re-alignment phase.
• Realign not just expenditures?but also policies (such as fertilizer subsidy, power subsidy, etc) towards meeting the climate change challenge.
• Livestock has been growing at more than double the rate of the cereal sector, as is horticulture.
• But policies and programmers?are stuck with the legacy of basic staples like rice and wheat.
• This needs to change?to give better nutrition and less GHG emissions.
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