According to the Agriculture Census 2015-2016, an average Indian farmer has 1.08 hectares of cultivable land. Half of the farmers present in India are marginal cultivators (1 hectare) and the rest are small farmers (1 to 2 hectares of land). In the country’s total foodgrain production, small and marginal farmers account for 60 percent (49 percent in rice, 40 percent in wheat, 27 percent in pulses, 29 percent in coarse cereals, and half in fruits and vegetables).
The reality is that agriculture is the primary source of livelihood for 58 percent of the country’s population. According to government estimates, India’s foodgrain production target was 291.95 million tonnes in the year 2019-2020 and the government has set a target of 298.3 million tonnes for the year 2020-2021. This figure is 2 percent more than last year.
Effect of climate change on agriculture
About 4 to 9 percent of climate change impacts agriculture in India every year. Agriculture contributes 15 percent of India’s GDP. Climate change causes a loss of about 1.5% of GDP. Rice, wheat, maize, and bajra are most affected by this.
By 2030, the production of rice and wheat is predicted to decrease by 6 to 10 percent due to climate change. It will have a negligible effect on crops like potato, soybean, gram, and mustard. As the temperature is low in North India’s Punjab and Haryana during winters, it will have a positive impact on mustard cultivation. An increase of 1 °C in temperature will not have much effect on its production. But such an increase in temperature will have a negative impact on eastern and central India.
The Minister of Agriculture informed about an assessment done by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) that highlights the ill effects of climate change on agriculture, risks associated with climate change, and how it is affecting different districts. This assessment is useful for policymakers and research managers to prioritize resources related to climate change action plans.
Climate-friendly agriculture
An important challenge to the country’s food security is climate change and its effects such as droughts, cyclones, floods, heat waves, and cold waves. By 2030, the earth’s temperature is projected to increase by 1 to 2.5 degrees celsius. This will have a serious impact on crop yields.
Higher temperatures shorten crop cycles, alter photosynthesis, increase crop respiration rates, and affect insect populations. Not only this, climate change changes the nutrients from organic to non-organic and the efficiency of fertilizers used is also reduced. Similarly, evaporation from the soil increases, due to which the natural resources get depleted.
Climate change directly or indirectly affects crops, water, and soil. It affects the availability of water, intensity of droughts, and growth of micro-organisms. It also leads to a reduction of organic matter present in the soil, low yields, a decline in soil fertility due to soil erosion, etc.
New technologies are being adopted in farming that will not only increase the cultivation, it will also ensure surplus availability of food products in mandis. This also means that workload in fields as well as in mandis will increase. As the inflow of crops in mandis will increase, it will also increase the workload of commission agents working in mandis. Understanding the concerns of commission agents in mandi accounting and turning them into opportunities, Bijak which is India’s Number 1 Agritrading App, came up with a solution for mandi accounting called ChargeERP.
ChargeERP is the solution
ChargeERP accounting software has been designed keeping in mind the daily interactions of commission agents in agricultural mandis. It is a cloud-based accounting software introduced with the core aim of reducing the agent’s workload. ChargeERP is the easiest, fastest, and most secure mandi accounting software available in India. One of the many benefits of this platform is that it can be accessed from anywhere and from multiple devices. It provides data security with end-to-end encryption. Plus, it doesn’t require any kind of technical or accounting expertise.
If you are looking to explore more about this next-level accounting software, feel free to dial +91 9311341199 or visit www.chargeerp.com, and request your free demo today. We also suggest that you follow us on Facebook for regular updates. You can also view the latest instructional videos on the ChargeERP YouTube channel.