Climate change reshapes Uttarakhand agriculture, pulses stay resilient: Report

India Today

03-05-2025

Pulses and spices are emerging as the backbone of hill agriculture in Uttarakhand, as farmers adapt to the mounting challenges posed by climate change. Once dominated by the cultivation of wheat, paddy, and potatoes, hill agriculture is undergoing a significant transformation, with climate-resilient crops like chickpea, pigeon pea, turmeric, and chilli witnessing a boom in both cultivation area and yield.A new analysis titled Water and Heat Stress in the Hills: How Climate Change is Shaping Uttarakhand's Agriculture Landscape by Climate Trends reveals a 27.2 per cent decline in total cultivated land and a 15.2 per cent drop in overall yield over the past decade.advertisementThe impact is most severe on food grains and oilseeds, which have lost 27 per cent of cropland in the hills. Wheat cultivation has declined by 4.63 per cent, with paddy and other millets showing similar downward trends.
Meanwhile, pulses and spices are emerging as climate-resilient alternatives, with significant increases in both cultivation area and yield.PULSES AND SPICES EMERGE AS RESILIENT CROPSPulses such as chickpea and pigeon pea are seeing increased cultivation. GI-tagged crops like pahadi toor (pigeon pea), gahat (horse gram), kala bhatt (black soybean), and chana (chickpea) are gaining popularity due to their resilience to water stress and low input requirements.'Pulses, particularly black soyabeans and horse gram, are adapting better to the changing climatic conditions than paddy and wheat, which are more water intensive,' says Jogendra Bisht, President of Lok Chetna Manch.advertisementSpice cultivation is also booming. Turmeric cultivation has more than doubled over the past decade, while chilli production has increased by 35 per cent. Overall, spice cultivation in the state has grown by 50 per cent, with a 10.5 per cent rise in yields between 2016 and 2022.POTATO PRODUCTION CRASHED BY 70%One of the starkest indicators of the shift is the collapse in potato production, the 'king of vegetables', suited for cooler climates.Once a staple hill crop, potato yields dropped by 70.82 per cent in five years -- from 367,309 metric tonnes in 2020-21 to 107,150 metric tonnes in 2023-24. Almora and Rudraprayag districts witnessed the steepest falls.The area under potato cultivation also fell by 36.4 per cent between 2020 and 2023. Experts point to reduced snowfall, erratic rainfall, rising temperatures, and frequent hail as key contributors to the decline.'Potatoes in the hills are entirely rain-fed,' explains Dr Anil Kumar of Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Udham Singh Nagar. 'Rainfall has become increasingly erratic, and reduced snowfall between October and January has critically impacted soil moisture and yields.'ERRACTIC WEATHER CONDITIONS AMPLIFIES THE SHIFTAs per India's Atlas on Weather Disasters, Uttarakhand recorded 94 extreme weather days in 2023, damaging 44,882 hectares of farmland.advertisementErratic rainfall, poor winter precipitation, and rising temperatures have made traditional crops increasingly difficult to sustain. Experts say this shift in weather patterns has accelerated the move toward drought-tolerant and lower-input crops like pulses and spices.Consequently, farmers, with support from Krishi Vigyan Kendras, are now adopting drought-resistant varieties and rethinking crop choices to safeguard their livelihoods.Krishi Vigyan Kendras said that a focus on introducing drought-tolerant varieties of pigeon pea and other crops capable of withstanding prolonged dry spells.Must Watch
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