CLIMATE CHANGE AND AGRICULTURAL COOPERATIVES

Cooperative form of economic enterprise is different than the private organizations in many ways as it is member driven and member controlled. It works according to the expressed needs of the members with their own resources having regard to their social & cultural aspirations. These are member based and Community oriented. Concern for Community is one of the important Cooperative principle. Since the Cooperatives are member-driven, the upliftment of members is their prime concern. The Cooperatives have to also consider to use local resources in such a way that it does not interfere with the ecological balances which are presently otherwise threatened by Climate Change and Global Warming.

CLIMATE CHANGE

Entire world today is concerned about the impact of climate change. Natural disasters do not recognize any national, political or regional boundaries, nor do they distinguish between developed and developing countries.

Climate change refers to change in the behavior of weather elements (temperature, rainfall, wind pattern etc.) over an area during a time span.

Though this phenomenon had also existed in past but now has become prominent.
Such known things are:
- 37” rain in Mumbai in one day.
- Last year floods in China.
- Cyclone in Myanmar.
- Snowing in Jordan.
- Recent reports of floods in many places.
- This time no summer in Delhi.
In fact we ourselves have to blame for it. Perhaps, this is the price of developmental activities and interference with the nature, we are now paying.

This is working in two ways. The dust particles in atmosphere trap the gases released due to industrialization and also the heat emitted. With the reason, this Infra-red radiation is absorbed and re-emitted in all directions by the green house gases.

The moisture from the earth when evaporates, due to these gases gets trapped and taken to different places by these gases. Wherever these vapours accumulate in large quantities and get cold temperatures, it causes heavy rainfall.

At some places due to increase in the concentration of green-house gases, the layer becomes thick and most of the Infra-red radiation get reflected back to the earth’s atmosphere resulting in warming of the earth’s surface.

In some part of the world, it is just opposite. The dust particles in the atmosphere do not allow the sun rays to pass causing fall in the temperature, with the reason in some parts of the world the winter season is increasing.

For example, in Antarctica, it has cooled during last 35 years despite the global average increase in the temperature by 0.6 degree.

CAUSES OF CLIMATE CHANGE

Burning of Fossil fuels (Coal, Petrol, Diesel, oil & Natural gases) results in the emission of carbon-dioxide gas.

Deforestation and less number of trees to absorb CO2

Rice paddies, Cattles, Coal mines, gas pipe line releasing Methane

Chemicals releasing Nitrous Oxide.
This results into concentration of green house gases which include
- Water vapours
- Carbon- dioxide
- Nitrous Oxide
- Methane
- Ozone
- Chloro-fluro Carbons
Greenhouse gas emission from the food and agriculture sector account for over one-third of the current total emission. High emissions are largely from the industrialized countries as is evident from the per capita emission of greenhouse gases of different regions of the world.

Fig.1- Per capita emission of greenhouse gases from different regions of the world.

In India highest emission of greenhouse gas is from energy sector (61%) followed by agriculture (28%).emission form industrial process is just 8%. (Fig 2)






Fig 2 – Greenhouse gas emission from different sectors

RESULTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE

Rise in temperature.
- Productivity of most cereals would decrease due to increase in temperature and decrease in water availability.
- Every 1degree Celsius increase in temperature reduces wheat production by 4-5 million tones.

Severe threat to Food security.

Rising food prices.

Erratic Weather – Excess rainfall, Intense floods, Cyclones.

Increases effects of pests and diseases.
Irrigation potential likely to decrease due to melting of glaciers.
Rise in sea level
- With the increase in temperature volume of water is going to expand. Similarly melting of glaciers and mountain snow will add to the volume of water in sea, resulting in rise of sea level.

Scarcity of Fresh water

Complete change in cropping pattern and resulting into complete change in infrastructure.

REMEDIES

Less use of fossil fuel
Less gas emissions to atmosphere
To keep this globe-green by more plantation and trees
Less emission of Carbon.

KYOTO PROTOCOL

180 Countries have signed this protocol including India.

Kyoto Protocol has three innovative mechanisms known as

§ Joint implementation

§ Clean Development Mechanism

§ International Emission Trading
Developing countries have to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions by a collective average of 5.2% below their 1990 levels by 2012.

Clean development management (CDM) is a project-based mechanism that allows public or private entities from countries with emission reduction targets to invest in emission reduction projects in developing countries in order to earn emission reduction credits (known as “certified emission reduction units” or CERs).

The credit Carbon units can be used against domestic reduction targets or sold to other interested parties.

WHAT COOPERATIVES CAN DO
At government level there are initiatives to mitigate the impact of climate change but at the community level they are not visible. Cooperatives are the community-based and member- oriented organizations. Therefore the cooperatives also have a responsibility towards helping the community in preparing for climate change risk management.

Create Awareness
Carry out awareness programmes about ill- effect of climate change on agriculture and what should be done to minimize its effect.

Intensive awareness campaign - can be carried out by distributing leaflets and handouts as well as training and educating the cooperative members regarding the disaster management so that they can disseminate the knowledge to large number of people and help in curbing climate change effects

Committees - They can help in the formation of the village protection team at the local level to carry out the disaster management programme.

Prevention

Improve technology for less emission - Agricultural cooperatives can implement technology that will lead to less nitrous oxide emission during fertilizer production.

Preparedness

Warning - Cooperatives can assist in linking rural communities with warning and protocol agencies so that they can communicate with rural people to ensure timely early warning about disasters.

Identifying the local polluting solves

Identification of natural warning system, its documentation & dissemination.

Mitigation

Alternate cropping pattern - Cooperatives can help in mitigating the risk associated with climate change by promoting alternative cropping practices and tolerant varieties to be used by farmers.

Take anti- flooding measures in low lying areas.

Alternative livelihood options other than farming - They can also promote non-farm livelihood options to be practiced by farmers in order to increase the flexibility of rural communities when confronted with climate hazards.

Adopt risk – mitigation tool e.g. crop insurance, weather insurance.

Take up natural resource conservation activities like afforestation, water harvesting and conservation.

Post disaster Relief

Cooperatives can be the first one to start the rescue and relief operation after the disaster. They helps in providing rescue & evacuation, first aid, shelter mgmt, damage assessment, counseling, water & sanitation, carcass disposal, relief distribution, damage assessment etc.

Cooperatives can create common disaster management fund to carry out the disaster mitigation, prevention and relief & rehabilitation purpose.

Create a cooperative hub for networking with already established national & international systems and disseminate information to grassroots level cooperatives.

FAO of UN in their message on 14th International Cooperative Day have said

“Cooperatives enterprises can promote local prevention and adaptation practices that reduce the impacts of natural hazards and climate change. Also the proximity of Cooperative, to the rural people & their Capacities to achieve economies of scale by grouping people, Cooperatives have to play a key role in ensuring rapid, effective & sustainable response to climate Change.”