Tough Seeds for Tough Times: India's Climate Battle

In India, a warming climate is making life difficult for farmers like P. Ravinder Reddy. Unpredictable rains and extreme heat are ruining crops in his village, Rayanpet. Fortunately, scientists have been working to create tougher rice seeds that can handle these climate changes. These new seeds need less water and are more disease-resistant. Reddy has been using them for five years and is pleased with the results. India's agricultural research organizations have been developing seeds like these for a long time. They need to, as India is one of the biggest producers and consumers of rice and wheat. Climate change is causing more extreme weather, which makes farming harder. A UN report showed that too many people can't even afford healthy food. So, these tough seeds are even more important to make sure India has enough food. Other countries are also working on climate-resilient crops. India’s farmers, who often have small farms, are really feeling the effects of climate change. They’re trying different farming methods to deal with it. But the federal government is also pushing for these tough seeds that don’t reduce crop yields.

Scientists are looking for seeds that can handle problems like salt in the water, lots of rain at once, long droughts, and even warmer nights. "These seeds are vital," says Ashok Kumar Singh, a former director of an agriculture research institute. Singh’s team has made over 2,000 resilient seed varieties in the last decade. Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently released 109 new seed types. The government wants at least 25% of the rice fields to use these seeds this winter. "They’re made to resist heat and disease," adds Janila Pasupuleti from the International Crops Research Institute. But making these seeds available to all farmers is a challenge. Farmers need to know about them, be able to buy them, and learn how to use them. Aditi Mukherji, an agriculture expert, says India’s green revolution worked because there were good services to support farmers. In Rayanpet, Reddy is getting ready to plant rice seeds for the winter. He hopes to use more of these tough seeds. He says it’s good to try new seeds and it would really help if the government could ensure better prices for their crops.

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