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N. Lalitha
change and contributing to climate change mitigation.
1 However, CSA involves
adoption of technological solutions and requires continuous extension services to
the farmers. The fundamental aspect of CSA is that it promotes coordinated actions
by different stake holders including farmers, researchers, private sector, civil society
and policymakers to identify climate-resilient pathways through four main action
areas: (1) building evidence; (2) increasing local institutional effectiveness; (3) fostering coherence between climate and agricultural policies; and (4) linking climate
and agricultural financing (Lipper et al. 2014).
In India, though agriculture is a major economic activity for a sizeable population,
its dwindling share in the gross domestic product of the country is a concern for the
policy makers. According to the consumption expenditure data of NSSO, 22.5%
of the farm households at all India level have income below the poverty line. The
low and fluctuating farmer income causes distress for farmers and force farmers
to leave farming which will have serious impact on the future of agriculture in
the country (Chand 2017). The reasons for such fluctuating farm income ranges
from climate induced factors to anthropogenic activities. Government of India has
set a goal to double the farmers’ income by 2022–23 and has proposed a variety of
strategies within and outside the agriculture sector. Of the strategies discussed within
agriculture, include diversification towards high value crops (HVC that includes fruits
and vegetables) and to increase the area under HVC by 5% every year (Chand 2017).
This paper focuses on the horticulture sector, which is a high value segment and
contributes to nearly 30% of the total agriculture output within agriculture sector
but is highly vulnerable to climatic changes. India is the second largest producer of
fruits and vegetables after China and ranks number 1 in the production of banana,
mango, lime and papaya. Rightly so, the Government of India has recommended
shifting to the high value crops as one of the strategies for doubling farmers income.
Diversification towards HVCs is a viable strategy as the demand for nutritive and
quality products has been increasing due to rising per capita income and changes in
life styles and preferences for specific type of products (such as organic, fair trade,
artisanal) among certain sections in the country. The Income elasticity is positive and
is high for fruits, vegetables, pulses and livestock products (Acharya 2015). Further,
compared to the 77% gross cropped area (GCA) occupied by the staple crops such
as cereals, oilseeds and pulses but which contributed 41% of the total output, HVCs
occupied 19% of the GCA and contributed almost the same to the total output (Chand
2017). Though HVCs have high growth potential, the returns are subject to changing
climate scenarios, require more capital, modern information communication technologies, quality inputs, and timely information and extension services. This paper
looks at the climate change issues pertaining to mango cultivation, particularly with
reference to the kesar mango cultivation in Gujarat and the possible adaption of climate smart agriculture/horticulture (emphasis added by us) by the farmers taking the
case of kesar mango cultivators in Gujarat. In doing so, the paper is restricted to the
1 Nagaich Ranveer. https://www.orfonline.org/expert-speak/climate-smart-agriculture-how-canwe-be-smart-about-it-49648/ accessed on April, 8, 2019.
N. Lalitha
change and contributing to climate change mitigation.
1 However, CSA involves
adoption of technological solutions and requires continuous extension services to
the farmers. The fundamental aspect of CSA is that it promotes coordinated actions
by different stake holders including farmers, researchers, private sector, civil society
and policymakers to identify climate-resilient pathways through four main action
areas: (1) building evidence; (2) increasing local institutional effectiveness; (3) fostering coherence between climate and agricultural policies; and (4) linking climate
and agricultural financing (Lipper et al. 2014).
In India, though agriculture is a major economic activity for a sizeable population,
its dwindling share in the gross domestic product of the country is a concern for the
policy makers. According to the consumption expenditure data of NSSO, 22.5%
of the farm households at all India level have income below the poverty line. The
low and fluctuating farmer income causes distress for farmers and force farmers
to leave farming which will have serious impact on the future of agriculture in
the country (Chand 2017). The reasons for such fluctuating farm income ranges
from climate induced factors to anthropogenic activities. Government of India has
set a goal to double the farmers’ income by 2022–23 and has proposed a variety of
strategies within and outside the agriculture sector. Of the strategies discussed within
agriculture, include diversification towards high value crops (HVC that includes fruits
and vegetables) and to increase the area under HVC by 5% every year (Chand 2017).
This paper focuses on the horticulture sector, which is a high value segment and
contributes to nearly 30% of the total agriculture output within agriculture sector
but is highly vulnerable to climatic changes. India is the second largest producer of
fruits and vegetables after China and ranks number 1 in the production of banana,
mango, lime and papaya. Rightly so, the Government of India has recommended
shifting to the high value crops as one of the strategies for doubling farmers income.
Diversification towards HVCs is a viable strategy as the demand for nutritive and
quality products has been increasing due to rising per capita income and changes in
life styles and preferences for specific type of products (such as organic, fair trade,
artisanal) among certain sections in the country. The Income elasticity is positive and
is high for fruits, vegetables, pulses and livestock products (Acharya 2015). Further,
compared to the 77% gross cropped area (GCA) occupied by the staple crops such
as cereals, oilseeds and pulses but which contributed 41% of the total output, HVCs
occupied 19% of the GCA and contributed almost the same to the total output (Chand
2017). Though HVCs have high growth potential, the returns are subject to changing
climate scenarios, require more capital, modern information communication technologies, quality inputs, and timely information and extension services. This paper
looks at the climate change issues pertaining to mango cultivation, particularly with
reference to the kesar mango cultivation in Gujarat and the possible adaption of climate smart agriculture/horticulture (emphasis added by us) by the farmers taking the
case of kesar mango cultivators in Gujarat. In doing so, the paper is restricted to the
1 Nagaich Ranveer. https://www.orfonline.org/expert-speak/climate-smart-agriculture-how-canwe-be-smart-about-it-49648/ accessed on April, 8, 2019.