Impact of climate change on Agriculture

Coinciding with an international summit in Bali, environmentalists and agricultural scientists held a workshop in Kochi on the impact of climate change on agriculture in the tropical regions.

Panangad (Kerala), Dec 15 : Coinciding with an international summit in Bali, environmentalists and agricultural scientists held a workshop in Kochi on the impact of climate change on agriculture in the tropical regions.

The day-long workshop was conducted at the College of Fisheries in Kerala Agricultural University at Panangad near Kochi.

Agriculture meteorologists said farmers would have to adapt crop patterns to variations in climate.

"We make the awareness (about) climate change for variable turning in foodgrains production and farmers are made aware on all these things...Through better management practices, it is likely to be possible to achieve, so as to declare India as a developed country, provided one of the factors is India's (agriculture) production to be 400 million tonnes by 2020," said G.S.L.H.V Prasada Rao, Head of Department of Agriculture Meteorology, College of Horticulture, Kerala Agriculture University, Vellanikkara, Thrissur.

E. Viveknandan, a scientist with the Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute, Kochi said that with the sea temperature rising, many fishes were migrating to higher latitudes.

"We are able to fine that some of the major fish groups are moving towards the northern latitudes, to the areas where the temperature is lesser and also where they are able to find suitable homes," he said.

At the international climate summit in Bali, the main negotiating bloc of developing countries including India, called the G77, said they were not ready to make new efforts to fight climate change by cutting emissions from fossil fuels. They fear curbs would cramp economic growth aimed at lifting millions out of poverty.

The G77 comprises about 150 developing countries, including China and India, among the world's top greenhouse gas emitters.

About 190 nations meeting in Bali were headed for a compromise on Saturday to launch negotiations on a global pact to fight climate change after the European Union toned down a key demand for sharp cuts in greenhouse gas emissions by 2020.

The United Nations wants countries to agree by 2009 on a global climate pact. This would involve all nations, led by the United States, and include big developing countries such as China, India and Brazil.

ANI