Global Warming and Cooperatives: Capacity

Building of Farmers

Dr. A. K. Asthana, ( MBA,Ph.D.,Research Guide)Director, Institute of Cooperative

Management,Bhopaldearasthana@gmail.com

INTRODUCTION

• The impact of global warming is spatial and across the regions, sectors and social groups.

• Extent of vulnerability is variable in each region, sector, ecosystem and social group

•

• Vulnerability to Global Warming 2 type

• Bio-physical vulnerability (refers to physical condition of landscape and its impact on human and bio-diversity)

• social vulnerability

• Amongst the regions, developing nations are more vulnerable than the developed nations.

• Due to the fact that most of the developing nation’s economy is predominantly agrarian

• Global warming has its ugly manifestation in uncertainty of rain, unpredictable weather pattern, extreme temperature and increased incidence of cyclonic event.

• Agriculture is on the forefront of vulnerable sectors.

• Greenhouse gases (GHGs) emissions have

• Carbon dioxide (CO2), Nitrous Oxide (N2O) and Methane (CH4) are three major GHGs.

• GHGs trap out-going long wave radiation and bounce it back to earth surface.

• Increase in global temperature is due to Carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from fossil fuels,

• land use and agriculture practice also play significant roles in built up of concentration of GHGs.

Global Warming and Impact on Agriculture

• Ricardian models conclude that agricultural productivity first improves as temperatures go from cold to warm, then deteriorates going from warm to hot

• Negotiations amongst the nations revolved around four key issues;

• Transfer of green technology transfer,• Mitigation Strategy, • Adaptation of existing technology and

practice • Finance.

• Strategy to handle global warming should lay emphasis on alternate mitigation mechanism that is less technical and require less investment.

• General belief carbon dioxide (CO2), released by burning of fossil fuel is the most important GHG.

• Conventional tillage practice in agriculture also produces significant carbon dioxide emission

• . As per FAO estimate cultivation of about 1.8 million sq km of arable land to produce corn and wheat release 18 million tones of carbon dioxide annually

• FAO indicates that agriculture related deforestration may emit 2.4 billion tones of carbon dioxide into atmosphere annually

• Carbon is potent GHG.• 1. Its released in atmosphere is significant • 2. it remained in atmosphere for at least 100 years

• Agriculture has capacity to reduce GHG( Carbon dioxide)

• 1. Photosynthesis ( absorption of CO2 by plant)

• 2, Sequestration(absorption of CO2 by Soil)• (Carbon fixing plant like soyabean, pulse, by crop rotation)

• 3. Use of Bio-fuel• ( ethanol in petrol ) • from sugar processing and Jetropha.

• To increase productivity of agriculture use of chemical fertiliser

• Use of nitrogen based fertilizer• Farmers tend to use excess nitrogen based

fertiliser• Application of nitrogen based fertiliser should

be near to active root for proper absorption of nitrogen by plant.

• Excess nitrogen or unulitilized nitrogen released Nitrous Oxide (N2O)in atmosphere.

• Nitrous oxide is another potent GHG with global warming potential of 296 (1 tone of nitrous oxide has warming effect of 296 tones of carbon dioxide)

• In agriculture, flooded soil such as those used for rice cultivation and other cultivated wetland crops give emission of methane (CH4).

• Manure from cows, sheep, goats and camels are also source of methane (CH4) emission.

• Manure produced by livestocks emit methane (CH4) and/or nitrous oxide(N2O) during storage and later its application to soil.

• Methane (CH4) is also very potent GHG with global warming potential of 23.(1 tone of methane has warming effect of 23 tones of carbon dioxide)

• Mitigation of emission from agriculture requires relevant agriculture management practice.

• This can be achieved by sustained education and training to farming community so that farmers can contribute towards easing global warming by knowledge management.

• In Bali conference it was agreed upon by the nations that mitigation action would be supported by capacity buildings in a measurable, reportable and verifiable manner.

• India can well tackle global warming problem by capacity building of farming community and adopting environment-friendly farming practice.

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