Agrometeorological Advisory Services India

April 15, 2020

The agricultural sector is the foundation of the Indian economy. It employs more than 50 per cent of India’s workforce and contributes almost 17–18 per cent of its GDP.1 At present, agricultural livelihoods are being severely impacted world over as a result of anthropogenic global warming and climate change. India’s labour-intensive and subsistence-based agriculture sector is particularly vulnerable to this development.

Climate change has both direct and indirect effects on agricultural productivity, including changing rainfall patterns, severe drought, flooding and changes in the geographical redistribution of pests and diseases.2 These impacts are highly unevenly distributed across the globe, with regions like South Asia (including India) and sub-Saharan Africa experiencing significantly more adverse effects than North America, Europe (particularly Eastern Europe) and South America.3