IMPACT OF CLIMATE CHANGE ON AGRICULTURE AND FOOD SECURITY IN INDIA

Agriculture represents a core part of the Indian economy and provides food and livelihood activities to majority of the Indian population. This review illustrates the recent research findings on the present and future scenarios of changing climate on agriculture which could affect food security, trade policy, livelihood activities and water conservation issues, impacting large portions of the population. Food production in India is sensitive to climate changes such as variability in monsoon rainfall and temperature changes within a season. Studies by Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI) and others estimated that every 1^o C increase in temperature is likely to lead to a 5-10% reduction in yields of some crops. The present paper has also highlighted certain mitigation and adaptation strategies to sustain the Indian agriculture over changing climate. The Indian government should devise new policies to identify and develop new varieties of crops and especially thermal resistant crops and alternative cropping patterns, capable of withstanding extremes of weather, long dry spells, flooding, and variable moisture availability. The national policies on agriculture must be more resilient to climate change, economically viable, socially responsible and conserve land, water, genetic and other resources for future generation.