Climate Resilient Agriculture in Odisha: A Multi-pronged Approach

1. Towards Climate Resilient Agriculture in Odisha A Multi-pronged Approach 04 MAR 2019

2. Odisha Context

3. Possible consequence for Odisha • Late monsoon onset and more pre-monsoon rainfall • Reduced post monsoon and winter rainfall. • Increased day and night temperatures in all months except July. • Maximum increase in temperature in post- monsoon followed by summer. • Warm and short winter with fewer cold nights in western Odisha • Temperature increases: longer growing seasons, warmer nights • Precipitation changes: deficits, excesses, timing shifts, changing mix of rain • Increased intensity of precipitation events: more flooding and more droughts

4. Impact on agriculture and allied Activities • Significant effect on microbes, pathogens, and insects affecting many horticultural crops • Livestock to suffer heat stress lower productivity more so in south-western Odisha districts • River water temperatures are likely to affect fish breeding, migration, and harvests. • Productivity of cereals would decrease (due to increase in temperature and decrease in water availability) • Greater loss expected in rabi crops (pulses, groundnut and vegetable) . Every 1oC increase in temperature reduces wheat production by 4-5 million tons. • Sea level rise to increase saline water ingress • Frequency and intensity of rainfall rises and affects soil health

5. Resilience in the context of Agriculture

6. Indigenous and Modern Practices • Rain forecast [all regions] • Columns of water vapour appeared either on or near the water mass. • If ants fly off with grains of food in their mouths or frogs start croaking in chorus • kharif potato along the slope to check soil erosion [Koraput] • Jute+Rice rotation to arrest decreasing nitrogen loss [coastal districts] • Border cropping of niger for getting pure seed and as a security to main crop to adapt to temperature stress and safeguard quality • Farmers in Koraput and Kandhamal used as many as 35-40 types of intercropping system to adjust to climate variability • Ginger -Maize + Greens + Radish + Runner bean • Brinjal + Onion + Maize + Pea + Runner bean • To control harmful green algae Gundhi (Chara) in rice, 50-100 kgs of plucked Karada(Cleistanthuscollinus) leaves are used • Common salt is dissolved in water and sprayed in rice fields for controlling major weeds. • For preservation: Greengram and blackgram grains coated with potter’s ash, dry neem leaf, basangh (Adhatodaxasica) leaf and dry chillies keeps the grain free from pulse beetle.

7. Modern hybrids/recommended systems to adapt to climate stress CHANGE IN VARIETIES CHANGE IN PRACTICES • Excess rainfall: Durga, Sarala, Varshadhan and Hanseswari. [Paddy] • Lalat, Swarna withstand 4-6 weeks of delay in monsoon • Lunishree adapts to saline ingress • Overall people shift to short duration from long duration paddy • T9 Gram withstands rabi moisture stress • Some varieties of cabbage also are less impacted by climate variability • Brinjal: Utkal (Anushri, Madhuri, Keshari) • Tomato: Utkal (Kumari, Urbasi, Dipiti) • Chillies: Utkal (Arva, Rashmi) Some Intercropping system that adjusts climate stress (monsoon delay 6 weeks) are as follows: • Rice+arhar(5:2); Maize+Cowpea (2:2); Maize+arhar (2:2) • Yam+Maize (1:2) Rice+radish (4:2) • Rice+Blackgram/ Greengram (4:1) • Fungicides and pesticides for higher disease and pest incidence is now widely used • Vermicomposting and Organic farming is growing with a small base • Practice of protected cultivation in fruits and vegetables is relatively new • Bore well and lift irrigation is used for life saving irrigation in Kharif and in some cases in Rabi

8. Some baseline findings

9. Sources of weather information

10. Entry Points

12. Capacity Building –Two Pronged Approach

13. Capacity Gaps in Government

14. Capacity Gaps identified by Farmers

15. Value Chain

16. Climate Resilient Crop Value Chain or Building Resilience of Value Chain of Crops? A perennial crop like Mango can stay alive under desiccating conditions and this capacity can be highly advantageous for relatively stable yield in succeeding growth seasons. It can withstand dry weather and is moderately drought tolerant. It has the capability to grow in a wide range of vegetation zones and can enhance carbon sink. It is nutritionally rich. Arhar is one of the hardy, drought tolerant perennial legume crops with a wide range of rainfall tolerance. It has wide adaptability to different climates and can grow on a wide range of soils. As a pulse crop, Arhar can biologically fix nitrogen. It contains high levels of protein and important amino acids thus contributing to food security and combat malnutrition.

17. Baseline for Mango

19. Supply Chain- Mango Commodity Flow-Mango

20. Baseline for Arhar

22. Supply Chain- Arhar Commodity Flow-Arhar

23. Strategy Recommendation-Mango

25. Strategy Recommendation-Arhar

27. Thank You For more information, please contact: Soumik Biswas State Team Leader – Odisha and Chhattisgarh DFID – Climate Change Innovation Programme e-mail: Soumik.biswas@actiononclimate.today Mob: +91 90074 88684