{"id":42987,"date":"2024-10-17T09:52:48","date_gmt":"2024-10-17T04:22:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/?p=42987"},"modified":"2025-10-07T11:33:03","modified_gmt":"2025-10-07T06:03:03","slug":"the-impact-of-climate-change-on-poor-farmers-in-india-fao-report","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/the-impact-of-climate-change-on-poor-farmers-in-india-fao-report\/","title":{"rendered":"The Impact of Climate Change on Poor Farmers in India: FAO Report"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2><strong>What\u2019s in today\u2019s article?<\/strong><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Background<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>About Food and Agriculture Organization<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Key Highlights of the Report<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>NITI Aayog\u2019s Response<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><strong>Background<\/strong><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>A recent report from the\u00a0<strong>Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)<\/strong>\u00a0highlights how\u00a0<strong>climate change<\/strong>\u00a0disproportionately affects\u00a0<strong>poorer farmers in India<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li>Titled\u00a0<strong>\u201cThe Unjust Climate: Measuring the Impacts of Climate Change on Rural Poor, Women, and Youth,\u201d<\/strong>\u00a0the report reveals the vulnerabilities faced by marginalized farming communities due to climate-induced stresses such as\u00a0<strong>heat stress<\/strong>,\u00a0<strong>floods<\/strong>, and\u00a0<strong>droughts<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><strong>About Food and Agriculture Organization<\/strong><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>The\u00a0<strong>Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)<\/strong>\u00a0is a specialized agency of the\u00a0<strong>United Nations<\/strong>\u00a0that leads international efforts to defeat hunger, improve nutrition, and ensure food security.<\/li>\n<li>Its primary mission is to raise levels of nutrition, improve agricultural productivity, and better the lives of rural populations by promoting sustainable agricultural practices.<\/li>\n<li>Established in\u00a0<strong>1945<\/strong>, FAO&#8217;s headquarters is located in\u00a0<strong>Rome, Italy<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Key Objectives of FAO:<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Eradicating Hunger and Food Insecurity<\/strong>:\n<ul>\n<li>FAO works towards achieving a world free of hunger, ensuring that everyone has access to safe and nutritious food.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>Sustainable Agriculture<\/strong>:\n<ul>\n<li>The organization promotes the adoption of sustainable agricultural methods to increase productivity while preserving natural resources like soil, water, and biodiversity.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>Improving Rural Livelihoods<\/strong>:\n<ul>\n<li>FAO supports smallholder farmers, rural communities, and women by providing tools, knowledge, and access to markets to improve their economic opportunities.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>Tackling Climate Change<\/strong>:\n<ul>\n<li>The FAO is actively involved in addressing the impacts of\u00a0<strong>climate change<\/strong>\u00a0on food systems and advocating for climate-resilient farming practices.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><strong>Key Highlights of the Report<\/strong><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>The FAO, recently, presented the report \u201cThe unjust climate. Measuring the impacts of climate change on rural poor, women, and youth\u201d at an event in New Delhi. Key Findings of the Report:\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Income Disparities<\/strong>:\n<ul>\n<li>The report finds that\u00a0<strong>poor households<\/strong>\u00a0globally lose\u00a0<strong>5% of their income<\/strong>\u00a0annually due to heat stress and\u00a0<strong>4.4%<\/strong>\u00a0due to floods, compared to wealthier households.<\/li>\n<li>In India, rural poor households are particularly vulnerable because their income sources are more reliant on\u00a0<strong>climate-sensitive agriculture<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>Structural Inequalities:<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li>According to the report, the vulnerability of poor farmers is deeply rooted in\u00a0<strong>structural inequalities<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li>Households exposed to climate stressors experience a more significant reduction in total income compared to those unaffected.<\/li>\n<li>Poor farmers dedicate more resources to sustaining agricultural production during adverse events, leading to reduced opportunities for\u00a0<strong>off-farm employment<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>Impact of Heat Stress and Floods<\/strong>:\n<ul>\n<li>The report states that climate change widens the income gap between poor and non-poor households globally.<\/li>\n<li>Floods increase this gap by approximately\u00a0<strong>$21 billion per year<\/strong>, while heat stress contributes to a gap of over\u00a0<strong>$20 billion<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li>In India, rising temperatures increase the dependency of poor households on farming, while off-farm incomes decrease by\u00a0<strong>33%<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>Policy Recommendations<\/strong>:\n<ul>\n<li>The\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/food-and-agriculture-organization\/\" target=\"_blank\">FAO<\/a>\u00a0report suggests expanding\u00a0<strong>social security nets<\/strong>\u00a0for vulnerable communities.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Anticipatory social protection programs<\/strong>, which provide livelihood support ahead of extreme weather events, can help reduce poverty and reliance on harmful coping strategies.<\/li>\n<li>The report also recommends addressing\u00a0<strong>gendered barriers<\/strong>\u00a0in employment, promoting\u00a0<strong>workforce diversification<\/strong>, and providing\u00a0<strong>mentorship programs<\/strong>\u00a0to help rural communities participate in the modern workforce.<\/li>\n<li>The report emphasizes the need to empower\u00a0<strong>women<\/strong>\u00a0and\u00a0<strong>youth<\/strong>\u00a0in rural areas to help combat the effects of climate change.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Gender-transformative approaches<\/strong>\u00a0are necessary to challenge discriminatory social norms and enable women to make economic decisions that directly affect their lives.<\/li>\n<li>The report suggests\u00a0<strong>mentorship programs<\/strong>\u00a0and initiatives to strengthen socio-emotional skills, allowing women and youth to better participate in the workforce and adapt to modern employment needs.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><strong>NITI Aayog\u2019s Response<\/strong><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Responding to the report,\u00a0<strong>Ramesh Chand<\/strong>, a member of\u00a0<strong>NITI Aayog<\/strong>, said that India has been actively addressing the challenges posed by climate change. Key initiatives include:<\/li>\n<li><strong>National Innovations on Climate Resilient Agriculture (NICRA)<\/strong>:\n<ul>\n<li>This project was implemented to help Indian farmers adapt to extreme weather conditions.<\/li>\n<li>NICRA offers solutions for various crops, ensuring that farmers are equipped to handle adverse climatic events.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>Employment Guarantee Schemes and Social Safety Nets<\/strong>:\n<ul>\n<li>India was the first country to implement an\u00a0<strong>employment guarantee scheme\u00a0<\/strong>(Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme) to provide economic security to its population.<\/li>\n<li>During the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/upsc-exam\/covid-19\/\" target=\"_blank\">COVID-19<\/a>\u00a0pandemic, the government distributed\u00a0<strong>free food grains\u00a0<\/strong>(Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana) to two-thirds of the population, demonstrating its commitment to addressing both climate-related and economic challenges.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>Increasing Women\u2019s Participation<\/strong>:\n<ul>\n<li>Recent data from the\u00a0<strong>Periodic Labour Force Surveys (PLFS)<\/strong>\u00a0shows a significant increase in women\u2019s participation in the workforce, indicating progress toward gender equality in employment opportunities.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<hr \/>\n<h3><strong>Q1. How does nitrogen fixation occur in plants?<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Nitrogen is fixed, or combined, in nature as nitric oxide by lightning and ultraviolet rays, but more significant amounts of nitrogen are fixed as ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates by soil microorganisms. More than 90 percent of all nitrogen fixation is affected by them.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Q2. Which is the powerhouse of plants?<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Chloroplasts are the powerhouses of plants. They are the site of photosynthesis, the process that uses sunlight and carbon dioxide to produce the energy that powers life on Earth. The protein PRXQ seems to bridge two systems that keep chloroplasts, and by extension, plants, healthy.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Source:<\/strong>\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.thehindu.com\/news\/national\/climate-change-impact-harsher-on-poorer-farmers-in-india-fao-report\/article68761901.ece\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Climate change impact harsher on poorer farmers in India: FAO report<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-42987","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-upsc-mains-current-affairs","7":"no-featured-image-padding"},"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42987","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=42987"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42987\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=42987"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=42987"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=42987"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}