Climate Crunch

Uttarakhand's hill agriculture, the lifeline of nearly 80% of its rural population, is grappling with a climate-induced crisis.

- S V Krishna Chaitanya @Chennai

A comprehensive report by Climate Trends, a New Delhi-based think tank, released recently, reveals a stark 15.2% decline in agricultural yields and a 27.2% reduction in cultivated area across the state's hilly districts between 2012 and 2021.

With 92% of its landscape dominated by rugged mountains and over 55% of farmland reliant on rainfed systems, the state's farming communities are feeling the heat—literally—as rising temperatures and erratic rainfall disrupt traditional practices.

Cereals, which cover 86% of the cultivated area and contribute 91% of total crop production, have borne the brunt of this shift. Wheat, paddy, finger millet, and barnyard millet saw the steepest declines, with area reductions of 4.63%, 2.83%, 3.65%, and 4.03% respectively, and yield drops of 2.85%, 1.33%, 3.09%, and 2.2% over the decade. The second half of this period (2017-2021) witnessed an accelerated decline, with all cereals hitting their lowest cultivated areas in 2021. However, maize and amaranth bucked the trend, recording yield increases of 5.9% and 5.6%, thriving in the warmer, semi-arid conditions now prevalent in the hills.