Climate Change and Its Impact in Agriculture and Water Resources

Water and food security are the key challenges under climate change as both are highly vulnerable to continuously changing climatic patterns. Sectors of the Indian economy are most likely to be impacted by such changes in climate are those dependent on natural resources, namely agriculture, water and forestry. Impact of climate change such as depletion of water resources and decline in agricultural production has increased and has escalated food inflation globally. Agriculture contributes to alteration in climate through emissions of greenhouse gases (GHGs) such as carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide which are aftermaths of emissions coming directly from fossil fuel use, crop residue burning, tillage practices, fertilized agricultural soils, deforestation and livestock manure in large proportion. The three major GHGs are carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide which emit from different agricultural activities. Climate change will affect fodder production and nutritional security of livestock.