The summer monsoon accounts for around 70% of India’s yearly rainfall. These rains restore key sources of water for drinking as well as for irrigating crops. Worryingly, however, India is on course to have its weakest monsoon season in nearly two decades – threatening both harvests and incomes for farmers.
The reason behind the weak monsoon rains is the El Niño, which continues building strength in the Pacific ocean. While a naturally occurring climate phenomenon, this year’s El Niño is “supersizing before our eyes” and threatens to be the largest in 1,000 years.
While in many parts of the world El Niño is associated with heavy rains and terrible flooding, in other parts, including India, the opposite is the case, threatening devastating droughts.
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Our lives depend almost entirely on the monsoon, as does successful farming in our community.
“Rainfall has become highly unpredictable. Sometimes we receive excessive rainfall, while other times there is almost no rain at all,” said Munni, a farmer from northern India’s Rajasthan state.
Together with her husband Jagdish, Munni has traditionally grown staple crops such as sorghum, pearl millet, and maize to eat as well as to make fodder for their two goats, which they milk. Any surplus crops are sold for extra income, but how well their harvests fair depends heavily on the monsoon rains.
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“There is increased anxiety among local communities. Farmers are already concerned that drought may come again,” Munni said.
Munni and other farmers in Rajasthan are still reeling from the impact of too much rain last year.
“Last year, the monsoon arrived late and heavy rainfall continued for a long time. Many crops were damaged from waterlogged fields, resulting in substantial losses to the harvest,” she said.
“The rain also destroyed most of our winter crops. Farmers managed to keep their livestock alive by feeding them fodder grown earlier in the year, but those reserves are now almost exhausted.”
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Thankfully, support from Christian Aid’s local partner Roman Catholic Diocesan Social Service Society (RCDSSS) has helped to shield farmers in the area from the worst impacts of a weakened monsoon.
RCDSSS supported 500 women farmers like Munni to grow crops better able to withstand higher temperatures, as well as training them in organic farming techniques to boost their yields and reduce their reliance on expensive chemical fertilizers.
The farmers were also given drought-tolerant species of seeds and tree saplings better suited to dry soil. Munni is now growing chilli, as well as eggplant, tomatoes and okra, and has already started to see the benefits.
“The yield was nearly twice as much as what we were able to get from our traditional seeds. By learning organic farming methods, we have reduced our spending on pesticides by nearly 90%,” she said.
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Our partner also provided drip irrigation units, a highly efficient way of using water. Fitted to household water tanks, these units use pipes and tubing to deliver small amounts of water directly to the root of crops and plants to help preserve moisture in high temperatures.
The improved harvests also mean more money for the family to pay for essentials.
“Before receiving assistance, we only earned ₹200–₹400 (€1.80-3.65) per month from the crops we sold, now our kitchen garden provides us with enough crops to earn around ₹1,200–₹1,500 (€11 – 13.65) per month,” Munni explained.
The extra cash is already making a material difference to the life of Munni’s family.
“We’ve used the extra money to pay for a toilet to be built at our home,” she said.
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