agriculture Archives - Disasters News

May282025 by Editor DeskNo Comments

Monsoon Bliss: Early Rains Boost India’s Agricultural Prospects Amid Heavy Downpours

Breaking News, Climate Actions, Environment

Kerala experienced an unusually early arrival of the southwest monsoon on May 24, eight days ahead of the usual schedule, marking the earliest onset in 16 years. This early arrival offers a promising start to the agricultural season and relief from recent heatwaves that have affected much of the country. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) reported that the monsoon has already begun advancing into Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, and parts of the northeast. This early onset allows farmers to start sowing summer crops sooner, with increased soil moisture supporting better crop growth and potentially higher yields. However along with the early arrival, heavy monsoon rains are expected across several regions, including Kerala, Karnataka, and Maharashtra. While these rains are crucial for ag...

May272025 by Editor DeskNo Comments

Saltwater Creep: Bengal Delta’s Salinity Crisis Warns Coastal World of Climate Future

Breaking News, Climate Actions, Learning & Developments

As sea levels rise and extreme weather intensifies, a silent but destructive force is infiltrating coastlines across the globe: salt. A new international study reveals how creeping salinisation caused by the inland movement of seawater is posing an escalating threat to freshwater supplies, agriculture, and communities in low-lying coastal areas, starting with the Bengal Delta in Bangladesh. The study, published in Ecological Indicators, offers one of the most detailed long-term analyses of salinity trends in any delta system worldwide. Led by scientists from the University of Portsmouth, in collaboration with Dhaka University and Curtin University, the research tracked salinity levels in coastal rivers and estuaries using nearly two decades of data from over 50 monitoring stations acros...

May142025 by Editor DeskNo Comments

Africa on Climate Frontline: Rising Heat, Floods, and Droughts Worsen Crisis, Threaten Development

Breaking News, Climate Actions, Environment

WMO's 2024 climate report warns of worsening weather extremes, mounting socio-economic toll, and urgent need for digital adaptation and resilience planning across Africa The climate emergency in Africa has reached a critical tipping point, with cascading disasters impacting lives, livelihoods, and the continent’s development prospects at an alarming pace. The State of the Climate in Africa 2024 report by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) paints a grim portrait of a region buckling under the weight of extreme heat, deadly floods, prolonged droughts, and widespread humanitarian upheaval. From failed harvests to paralyzed power grids, and from flooded homes to growing water crises, climate change is no longer a future threat for Africa it is a destructive force in the pres...

May132025 by Editor DeskNo Comments

Will Climate Finance Taxonomy Help India Unlock $2.5 Trillion in Green Investment?

Breaking News, Climate Actions, Thoughts & Talks

India has taken a major step towards aligning its financial system with climate goals by unveiling a draft Climate Finance Taxonomy on May 7, 2025. This move aims to direct both domestic and foreign investments into truly sustainable activities, improve investor confidence, and reduce the risk of greenwashing. With ambitious climate targets set—achieving net-zero emissions by 2070 and ensuring that 50% of electricity comes from non-fossil sources by 2030 India needs to unlock $2.5 trillion in green investment by the end of this decade. The taxonomy is designed to facilitate this capital flow while providing clarity on what constitutes a climate-aligned economic activity. Why a Climate Finance Taxonomy? Despite an increasing number of financial institutions adopting green finance termi...

May92025 by Editor DeskNo Comments

Searing Autumn: Australia Sweats Through Record Heat as Winter Fades into Haze

Breaking News, Climate Actions

As winter approaches Australia remains gripped by an unrelenting autumn heatwave, with vast regions of the country experiencing temperatures more typical of midsummer. The southern half of the continent, particularly Victoria and parts of New South Wales, is enduring one of its warmest autumns on record. March 2025 became Australia's hottest ever, and the unusual heat has stretched well into May. Melbourne and Hobart have reported their warmest May nights in recorded history while some areas have seen daytime temperatures surge over 10°C above seasonal averages. The primary driver is a prolonged high-pressure system over southern and southeastern Australia. Known as "blocking highs," these systems have stalled the usual west-to-east flow of weather, trapping dry and warm air masses o...

May42025 by Editor DeskNo Comments

Climate Change Reshapes Farming in Uttarakhand: Pulses & Spices Replace Traditional Crops

Breaking News, Climate Actions

In the hill state of Uttarakhand climate change is driving a major transformation in agriculture. Once dominated by water-intensive crops like wheat, paddy, and potatoes, the state's farmlands are now tilting towards climate-resilient pulses and spices as extreme weather patterns worsen year after year. A new report titled Water and Heat Stress in the Hills paints a grim picture: over the past decade, Uttarakhand has lost 27.2% of its cultivated land and suffered a 15.2% decline in total agricultural yield. The hardest-hit are food grains and oilseeds, with wheat and paddy cultivation seeing a marked decline. Meanwhile, pulses and spices are emerging as the unexpected winners of this climate-induced shift. The Rise of Resilient Crops As rainfall becomes erratic and winters turn drier,...

Apr92025 by Editor DeskNo Comments

Rapid Agricultural Driving Severe Groundwater Depletion Despite Rising Rainfall in Thar Desert

Breaking News, Climate Actions, Environment

New study has revealed a striking transformation in the Thar Desert long known for its arid climate showing significant greening across both monsoon and non-monsoon seasons between 2001 and 2020. But behind this apparent revival lies a looming ecological concern: groundwater depletion, driven by rapid agricultural and urban expansion. Researchers compared the seasonal cycle of vegetation greenness between 2001–2010 and 2011–2020, finding a substantial rise in greenery during both summer monsoon (June–September) and the drier months (October–May). However, they traced this trend back to a dramatic surge in farming activity and irrigation. Between 1980 and 2015, the Thar region witnessed a 74% rise in crop area and a 24% increase in irrigated area. Gross and net irrigated areas expande...

Feb82025 by Editor DeskNo Comments

Climate Crisis hits African Mountains Harder than Expected

Breaking News, Climate Actions, Environment, Learning & Developments

A new study from the University of York reveals that climate change is impacting mountain communities in equatorial Africa far more severely than previously thought, demanding urgent adaptation measures. Researchers interviewed 1,500 smallholder farmers across ten mountain regions in eight countries including Kenya, Ethiopia, Uganda, and Rwanda and found widespread reports of rising temperatures, declining rainfall, increased extreme weather, and unpredictable seasons. These shifts are disrupting agriculture, reducing crop yields, and worsening food security for millions. Communities are adapting by changing farming methods, diversifying livelihoods, and improving water and soil management, but responses vary significantly across regions. Experts stress that a one-size-fits-all appro...

Jan42025 by Editor DeskNo Comments

India Forest Cover Growth Comes at a Cost: Biodiversity Hotspots Face Decline

Breaking News, Climate Actions, Environment

The India State of Forest Report (ISFR) 2023, released by the Forest Survey of India, paints a picture of paradoxical progress. While India's total forest and tree cover has shown a marginal increase, the ecological cost is hard to ignore. Biodiversity-rich areas, which are critical for sustaining ecosystems, continue to see worrying declines. India's forest and tree cover now stands at 8,27,357 square kilometres, covering 25.17% of the country's geographical area. Forests account for 21.76% (7,15,343 sq km), while tree cover constitutes 3.41% (1,12,014 sq km). Since the last report in 2021, forest and tree cover has grown by 1,446 sq km, with a modest 0.2% rise in forest cover and a 1.16% jump in tree cover. However, deeper analysis reveals a troubling reality: several states with r...

Nov212024 by Editor DeskNo Comments

Stubble Burning and Pollution: ICAR Warns of Irreparable Damage to Soil and Air Quality

Breaking News, Environment

As Delhi continues to choke under hazardous air pollution senior scientists from the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) have raised alarms about the dual damage caused by stubble burning—not only polluting the air but also depleting vital soil nutrients. Nutrient Loss and Soil Degradation ICAR scientists revealed that burning one tonne of paddy stubble results in a significant loss of soil nutrients, including: 12-13 kg of phosphorus 35 kg of potassium 20 kg of nitrogen Of these, nitrogen is completely lost, while phosphorus is partially recoverable. ICAR Director General Himanshu Pathak emphasized that stubble burning harms both the environment and agricultural productivity, stating, “In any form, stubble should not be burnt as it harms everyone.” Rising P...