5 Agricultural Sector
Changes in agricultural production can have corresponding impacts on incomes and
well-being of rural people. (IPCC report, 2013). Indian agriculture is facing challenges from several factors such as increased competition for land, water and labor
from nonagricultural sectors, and increasing climatic variability. Food production in
India is sensitive to climate change such as variability in monsoon rainfall and
temperature changes within a given season. Small changes in temperature and
rainfall can have a significant impact on quality and quantity of production (refer
Table 16).
FGDs revealed that most of the farmers are not able to express their perceptions
regarding climate change directly, but they express themselves through effects or
changes that have occurred relative to the earlier years or based on the experiences
of the elderly residing in the village. The study also reveals that most of the
respondents are not aware of climate change; rather they readily talk of rainfall- and
warming-related aspects.
The area under total pulses as shown in Fig. 11, total cereals and minor millets,
has also got reduced, i.e., (see graph) pulses (from 4529 to 2079 ha), cereals, and
minor millets (16,610 to 12,229 ha). This reduction is due to the fact that people
have diverted their cropping pattern from the cultivation of food grains to eucalyptus, vegetables, and flowers, as these villages are located near to Hoskote and
Bangalore and also because of water scarcity, labor problem, high input cost, and
low profit and this also led to change in cultivable land as shown in Table 17.
India has a variety of crops grown under irrigated and rainfed conditions. In the
study area, many farmers have shifted from cultivating local varieties to hybrid
varieties in respect of all crops like ragi, pulses, and some others, leading to an
increase in the per acre production of ragi. While local ragi is sown at a spacing of
9 * 4, hybrid variety is sown at 2 * 2 spacing thus increasing the number of
seedlings sown per acre, and in addition, gypsum application also helps to attain the
required moisture level, uniform filling of seeds, and increase in yield by 8–10 %.
Table 16 Hybrid varieties used in Jadigenahalli Gp (2013)
Crops
Hybrid
Paddy
KRH2, Rashi, Telahana, IR64, MTU 1001, MTU 1010, JGI 1798
Ragi
GPU 28, MR1, M1365
Maize
Hybrid variety
Popcorn
Popcorn variety
Minor millets
Arka, Navane, Samee
Red gram
Hyderabad 3c, TTB 7, BRG1, BRG2
Cowpea
C15, TVX 944,
Bengal gram
TMV2, JC24
Sesame and Niger
Local
Source Department of Agriculture, Hoskote, 2014
Climate Change at Peri-urban Contexts …
495
Changes in agricultural production can have corresponding impacts on incomes and
well-being of rural people. (IPCC report, 2013). Indian agriculture is facing challenges from several factors such as increased competition for land, water and labor
from nonagricultural sectors, and increasing climatic variability. Food production in
India is sensitive to climate change such as variability in monsoon rainfall and
temperature changes within a given season. Small changes in temperature and
rainfall can have a significant impact on quality and quantity of production (refer
Table 16).
FGDs revealed that most of the farmers are not able to express their perceptions
regarding climate change directly, but they express themselves through effects or
changes that have occurred relative to the earlier years or based on the experiences
of the elderly residing in the village. The study also reveals that most of the
respondents are not aware of climate change; rather they readily talk of rainfall- and
warming-related aspects.
The area under total pulses as shown in Fig. 11, total cereals and minor millets,
has also got reduced, i.e., (see graph) pulses (from 4529 to 2079 ha), cereals, and
minor millets (16,610 to 12,229 ha). This reduction is due to the fact that people
have diverted their cropping pattern from the cultivation of food grains to eucalyptus, vegetables, and flowers, as these villages are located near to Hoskote and
Bangalore and also because of water scarcity, labor problem, high input cost, and
low profit and this also led to change in cultivable land as shown in Table 17.
India has a variety of crops grown under irrigated and rainfed conditions. In the
study area, many farmers have shifted from cultivating local varieties to hybrid
varieties in respect of all crops like ragi, pulses, and some others, leading to an
increase in the per acre production of ragi. While local ragi is sown at a spacing of
9 * 4, hybrid variety is sown at 2 * 2 spacing thus increasing the number of
seedlings sown per acre, and in addition, gypsum application also helps to attain the
required moisture level, uniform filling of seeds, and increase in yield by 8–10 %.
Table 16 Hybrid varieties used in Jadigenahalli Gp (2013)
Crops
Hybrid
Paddy
KRH2, Rashi, Telahana, IR64, MTU 1001, MTU 1010, JGI 1798
Ragi
GPU 28, MR1, M1365
Maize
Hybrid variety
Popcorn
Popcorn variety
Minor millets
Arka, Navane, Samee
Red gram
Hyderabad 3c, TTB 7, BRG1, BRG2
Cowpea
C15, TVX 944,
Bengal gram
TMV2, JC24
Sesame and Niger
Local
Source Department of Agriculture, Hoskote, 2014
Climate Change at Peri-urban Contexts …
495