to instantly read 150+ free stories & 250-word summaries of all our stories

Burning up

India’s crops are feeling the heat in a warming world

The looming climate crisis is affecting everything from rice to apples—most for the worse, and some for the better—as farmers struggle to cope

08/06/19

Pradip Kumar Saha

Indian agricultural output continues to rise—especially foodgrain production—but that hides the turmoil that Indian farmers actually face

While erratic weather and disasters from drought to flood hit production in some parts of the country, productivity gains elsewhere balance it out in total

But the reality is that India could face $7 billion in agricultural losses by 2030, with the incomes of its vast farm workforce on the line

To adapt and survive, we need to understand just how changing temperatures are reshaping crops of all hues

wheatt-1920x1120.jpg

Jagtar Singh lost his cotton crop twice. In just over two weeks. First, it was the rains that lashed Chaina village in Punjab’s Faridkot district in the first week of May, just after sowing. The unseasonal rains killed them before they could even germinate. On second sowing, the seeds did germinate. But the crop couldn’t…

To access this post, you must purchase Monthly Recurring, Quarterly or Weekly Product.

Read the full story. Create a free account.

Or subscribe. Why? Let us explain.

Already Registered?

Related stories

More stories in /Reportage

See all in Business & Reportage

Want to read this story for free right now? Just

Read the full story instantly.
Just enter your email address.

Or subscribe. Why? Let us explain.

Or

By registering, you will be signed-up for an account which gives you access to a free story published once a week and archives of all our free stories. You will also receive a daily newsletter sent to your inbox. To unsubscribe, please visit the profile section in your account.

What you get

Access all free stories

100+ archived free stories, and all upcoming ones too.

Paid story summaries

Read an exclusive 200 word summary for all our paid stories.

Daily Newsletters

Our world-renowned emails, in your inbox, every day.

Or get full access to all our stories

About subscriptions

Already Registered? Login

Questions?

What is The Ken?

The Ken is a subscription-driven media site. We write one story a day (weekdays only). These stories have sharp, original insights on technology, business, science and healthcare from India.

Why do I have to sign up to read your stories?

Our stories are not free. Well, some select stories are. But, a significant part of what we write at The Ken is for subscribers only. We put in a lot of effort and resources in writing our stories and believe that you must pay for good journalism.
Hence, our three plans. 1) The annual membership
2) The free sign up
3) The recurring quarterly subscription

On journalism and why you should pay for it, if you haven’t already seen it, here’s a great explainer from John Oliver.

So, one must pay for journalism?

Yes.

How many stories will I get if I take an annual membership?

200+ stories.

And, in the free sign up?

Four stories every month.

Do I get a refund?

We allow you to sample our journalism for free before signing up, and after you do, we stand by its quality. But we do not offer refunds.

I am not getting my daily emails. Do I have to whitelist emails from The Ken?

An added benefit of your subscription (free/paid) are the daily personalised emails. These emails, at times, might end up in your spam/junk folder due to emojis, attachments or images. In case you’re not receiving these emails, it might help to whitelist us. If the problem still persists, write to us at [email protected].

Why am I unable to access the archives?

Full and unrestricted access to our archives is a feature of our annual membership.

My payment is not going through, what can I do?

Please write to us at [email protected] detailing the payment error or queries.

See all FAQs