An Interview with Dr. Tej Partap, Climate Change Expert
“Climate change has thrown many new challenges for scientists, especially in agriculture. Scientists are trying to understand the phenomenon. Earlier, we try to understand it, the better”, says Dr. Tej Partap, Vice Chancellor Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology – Kashmir (SKUAST-K), adding “but it is so much difficult. Science and scientists are poorly equipped to understand the process. We can’t say anything with certainty.”
Dr. Tej Partap is an expert in mountain and cold climate
agriculture. He has served as Executive Director (2005-06) International Competence Centre for Organic Agriculture (ICCOA) and International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), Kathmandu.
He has rendered consultancy services to National Commission on Farmers, Government of India to study and prepare sections of Report of the Commission on Hill Agriculture and Organic Farming sectors.
He was awarded honorary professorship in Mountain Agriculture by Tibet Academy of Agriculture and Animal Sciences in 1996 and by Institute of Geography and Natural Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing in 1995.
He has served as member on Board of Directors/Governors of International Competence Centre for Organic Agriculture (ICCOA), Global Mountain Forum (elected representative of Asia Pacific Region, Global Secretariat, Kathmandu) and International Centre on Research and Training in Seabuckthorn, Beijing-China.
His expertise and consulting services in farming and livelihood sector, especially hill agriculture and organic farming is being continuously utilized by Japan-based Asia Productivity Organization, since 1987.
Born and brought up in Himachal Pradesh, he did his Doctorate from department of Bio-Sciences, Himachal Pradesh University, Shimla. Apart from 30 years of experience of working in mountain and hilly areas, he also has experience of leadership in implementation of international research programmes and institutional management.
Dr. Partap has 13 books and monographs to his credit and has edited 11 volumes. Dr. Tej Pratap in an exclusive interview with Global Press Institute (GPI)
Q. Is climate change a myth or reality?
Climate change is one stark reality before the global society. Whether you contribute or not, you’ll get its impact. Carbon dioxide generated in Australia will reach Kashmir valley in maximum seven days. Carbon dioxide is the root cause of climate change.
Climate change is a reality. It is myth for those who shut their eyes to reality. You can’t feel it, but its victims are all irrespective of the fact whether you contribute to it or not. Farmers knew about climate change 15 years before it actually came to the fore. It is a reality, but we don’t have much knowledge and information to answer the issues related to climate change and its impacts. For example, glaciers and oceans are presently under change. Once ocean water will rise, problems will creep in accordingly.
Q. How can we describe the impact of climate change?
Presently, climate change has both positive and negative aspects. For example, more rainfall is predicted in areas where there used to be less rain. However, intensity of rainfall will increase and in that sense even less rains would be damaging. It may even give rise to hurricane kind of situations. Such events will be on the increase.
Agriculture and infrastructure will be affected the most by unpredictable and prolonged rains. In some areas there would be less rains, but prolonged droughts. This will make a serious dent on agriculture. Some areas in hills and mountains may also be benefited.
In Himachal Pradesh, farmers faced crop failure for three consecutive years before 2010 all because of failure of winter rains and the following years there has been long spells of excess rain. So, it is sometimes too little and sometimes too much situation and both are bad for farming. Quality and quantity of apple in the low area of Himachal Pradesh went down due to climate change (more so rise in temperature) and farmers incomes declined.
The apple belt in Himachal Pradesh has been witnessing an upward shift. It has already moved about 50 kilometres.
As such, apple had to be cut and it gave way to plum orchards. Plums are now paving way to pomegranate. There were no apple orchards at higher areas, earlier. Now apple orchards are coming up there.
Some 15-20 years down the line, best apple orchards may be at Ladakh region of the state of Jammu and Kashmir (presently some local varieties of apples grow there). The fear is that areas like Kashmir known for apple-orchards may face serious problems in continuing.
Besides, insects and pests will also multiply. It is a very puzzling process. Lot of agriculture occupation would be changed. Crop failures would be a common phenomenon, unless you manage water. Water sources may dry at several places. There may be years of good rainfall and then climate followed by long drought periods.
Q. Are there any alternatives/solutions available to minimize the impact of climate change?
Climate change has thrown lot of new challenges for scientists especially in agriculture. Scientists are trying to understand the phenomenon. The earlier we try to understand it, the better. But again there is a problem. Say for example the scientists would take 4-5 years to understand a particular aspect of climate change and provide technological solutions to adopt. But by then another problem would creep in.
It is so much difficult. Science and scientists are poorly equipped to understand the process. We can’t say anything with certainty. However, emphasize in agriculture should be to bring in varieties that are temperature and draught tolerant.
Q. Do you think there has to be global treaty as climate change is a universal phenomenon. Why then developing nations resisted a legally binding treaty in Copenhagen (UN Climate change Conference) December 2009 (COP15)?
All governments should think sensibly about it. Common sense has to prevail and governments should have their own adaptive strategies. Global economy depends on fuel resources. Big nations should join hands to find out alternate ways. Countries have to be benevolent to share technologies and knowledge. Solutions are possible but difficult.
In agriculture, India should devise its own adaptive strategy for different zones of the country. A national thought should be about how to invest in clean energy and how to find alternate ways to adopt to new farming conditions.
Q. Are there chances of some region(s) facing more impact of the climate change?
May be. The countries/regions would face more or less the same impact. Poorer nations will suffer unnecessarily. Rich nations have benefited more from emitting green house gases over the decades. Nature will however, not discriminate.
Q. Which sectors will be affected the most? How is climate change going to affect human migration, human health and food security?
Water resources and agriculture would be affected the most. Food security issue will become priority area of regions and nations. Temperature will rise; production will be less. Globally food production is going to decline. Powerful nations will purchase food even if it becomes costly but poorer countries will find it so hard to feed people.
Many such unpleasant things may happen.
Climate change is not smooth. It is highly variable - variable in time and space and is very confusing. We are still fine tuning our tools. We are still poor in understanding science of climate change.
Outbreak of diseases can very much be there. We’ll have strange human, plant and animal diseases. In next 10-20 years lot of infectious tropical diseases may move upwards and will make large impact on health of plants, animals and humans. An epidemic might break out. Diseases will inflict major damage to human population and wildlife.
It is a generally accepted principle that people living in cold areas are more prone to diseases. This is one of the causes of concern. In mountainous areas, there will be more chances and the population will face more diseases. Hot and humid climate provides an opportunity for disease to breed and multiply.
Q. How do you see agriculture scenario in the Kashmir valley?
Role of agriculture as a source of livelihood for farmers is getting reduced. We’ve moved from subsistence to cash economy. Needs of farmers have increased, but the stark reality is that crop land is shrinking.
Land holdings are becoming smaller and consequently, returns from agriculture are low and that is the cause of concern.
Today, Kashmir as a society doesn’t grow enough for itself. To think Kashmir should be self-sufficient in food may not be necessary. What is important is that farmers are able to have economic security from farming. State can have several ways of interdependence in agriculture and that means we’ve to look for crops with comparative advantages.
Q. What are the challenges before scientists if we’ve to increase agricultural production in the state of Jammu and Kashmir?
Challenge before science is if we can provide economic security to the people from this land. Kashmir farmers shouldn’t grow crops which do not have comparative advantage. Technological intervention is required to offer new farming opportunities for example Kashmir farmers have to see how they can capture vegetable farming as cash income opportunity.
Kashmiri farmers may grow vegetables during off-season so that the same are exported to other parts of country. Vegetables during the peak season wouldn’t fetch good amount for vegetable growers since vegetables are grown in other parts of country during that season.
I personally believe that we can’t produce everything in Kashmir. As such we should concentrate on things which we can produce during off-season as that is the time to reap benefits.
There is a huge market for vegetables and if we produce vegetables during off-season, vegetable growers can become self-reliant. Good example is of Himachal Pradesh. It produces vegetables worth Rs. 2,000 crores annually and we hardly produce vegetables worth Rs. 200 crores per year. In Himachal Pradesh food growing areas are successfully shifting to vegetable growing areas to achieve economic security. Then why the experience can’t be replicated here. Vegetables from hills and mountains always fetch premier price.
Institutions have failed in coming up to the expectations of farmer community in Kashmir as technology hasn’t been transformed to the concerned stakeholders. This should be followed by vigilance and monitoring by concerned authorities. The technological benefits should trickle down to farmers at grassroots level.
Q. How do you see future of agriculture in Kashmir?
Mountains can be advantageous for growing off-season vegetables and fruits. Climate change impact in Kashmir can work for farmers, even if there is less water. Say for example, in Gurez conditions may become so much favourable that farmers in that area are able to employ more people for profitable farming.
Areas like Gurez have not developed on the agriculture map of Kashmir. If they are guided in proper manner, such areas may achieve great economic progress in the future climate change scenario. It could become a great hub for agricultural activities.
Kashmiris can become economically very secure if right steps are taken in this direction. Crops with comparative advantage need to be grown by farmers and emphasis should be laid on cash-crops.
University has asked scientists of Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs) across valley to identify areas in districts where we can go for specialized agriculture activities. If there is hope of better life on farms, youth may go back to soil.
Farmers in Kashmir have not yet benefited the way technology should have supported them.
If Government creates strong supply-chains for farm produce then opportunities are great. We are on the job and hopefully a time would come when a Kashmiri farmer would achieve economic ascendancy.
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