In Himachal Pradesh, India, natural disasters are becoming more frequent and climatic conditions are changing – with negative consequences for apple production and farmers' livelihoods. Holistic and multidimensional innovation bundles are required for the entire value chain in order to make the food system more resilient in the future.
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Inder Singh is an apple farmer in Kullu district of Himachal Pradesh, India. His apple orchard is located on the slopes between the Beas River and a major highway. On 11th July 2023, after over two days of incessant rain, a part of it was lost in a landslide. His neighbour’s house and a section of the road were also damaged. Additionally, he suffered losses because his plum crop, which he plants along with apples and harvests in July, could not be harvested or transported due to the disruption of road networks. The extreme precipitation, which continued till September, posed a grave risk to his apple crop.
Himachal Pradesh, located in the Western Himalayan region in India, has been witnessing increasingly frequent natural disasters for the last decade. The year 2023 saw many parts of the region devastated due to flash floods, landslides, and cloudbursts in the mountainous terrain, caused by unprecedented rains which shattered 50-year-old records. Farmers such as Inder Singh also bore the brunt of other sub-optimal climatic conditions, such as reduced chilling hours and increased incidence of pests and diseases. These events proved devastating for horticulture, which is the primary and major source of livelihood for the rural population in Himachal Pradesh. These events confirm the projected impacts of climate change in the region.
The India country package of the global programme “Green Innovation Centres for the Agriculture and Food Sector” (GIC India), part of the BMZ Special Initiative “Transformation of Agriculture and Food Systems”, has been working with apple farmers and stakeholders in Himachal Pradesh to make the apple value chain climate resilient. In an Integrated Climate Risk Assessment of the Apple Value Chain in Shimla and Kullu Districts of Himachal Pradesh commissioned by the project, it is predicted that, based on existing climate scenarios, sub-optimal weather conditions and extreme climatic events like the ones observed in 2023 will become more frequent in the years to come, negatively impacting the apple value chain. To understand the individual and combined impacts of these extreme climatic conditions, GIC India conducted a survey with apple farmers in Shimla and Kullu districts of Himachal Pradesh. It sought a nuanced understanding of specific impacts across the apple production activities and supply chain, perception of the magnitude of impacts by farmers, and plausible mechanisms for them to cope with such events better.
Results from the survey corroborate that the climatic conditions have had a devastating impact on apple production. Apple crop needs chilling during the winters to break dormancy, but this requirement was not fulfilled due to unusually warm winters in 2022. Extreme precipitation such as hailstorms and rains during the blooming season and fruit set development not only damaged the crops and affected the yields, but also had a direct impact on quality. Over 95% of surveyed farmers in Shimla and Kullu suffered crop damage, while 80% reported a fall in production of “A” grade – the best quality - apples. This aggravates the economic impact on farmers because they suffer losses not just due to damaged crops, but also due to reduced prices for lower quality produce. The extreme precipitation events further led to flash floods and landslides, badly damaging the road infrastructure. The produce could not be transported to markets, leading to significant post-harvest losses. A summary of major impacts across apple production is illustrated in figure 1.
Figure 1: Multiple impacts across all stages of apple production due to climate-linked events in Himachal Pradesh in 2023.
Climate change often amplifies existing socio-economic vulnerabilities. Data from Shimla district’s Department of Horticulture indicates that 95% of all affected farmers are small and marginal, with landholdings of less than 2 Hectares, forming the vulnerable section of the population.
GIC India has been promoting innovations to strengthen the resilience of farmers to such projected impacts of climate change. Certain innovations have the potential to not only enhance incomes and productivity, but also the adaptive capacity of small and marginal farmers in the future. Therefore, the project has worked towards implementing ‘innovation bundles’, depicted in figure 2, which consist of multiple interventions in the same farm, that target different challenges faced by the farmer with respect to – capacity, production, post-harvest management, and marketing. Inder Singh’s farm is one such farm where these innovation bundles are being piloted.
Since awareness and capacity building of farmers is an important adaptation strategy, promotion of Good Agriculture Practices (GAPs) through local institutions using farmer-friendly training material, will enhance capacities of farmers and farm productivity while reducing the usage of chemical inputs. Inder Singh, who has been implementing the promoted GAPs, reports that while he lost a part of his orchard due to landslide, his other trees were able to maintain good health and productivity, whereas his neighbouring experienced heavy leaf fall and reduced yields. Increased leaf fall affects tree health and can impact yields in the next season as well.
In the survey, over 60% farmers reported reduced pollination and on-farm activity of bees and wild pollinators. Pollination management is a key practice among the promoted GAPs, which promote natural methods of pollination and reduces chemical use that harm wild pollinators. Additionally, selected apple farmers, including Inder Singh, have been supported to practice integrated beekeeping using the indigenous bee Apis cerana to enhance productivity through enhanced pollination, while implementing habitat conservation measures for wild insect pollinators.
Other innovations across the value chain include decentralized solar powered cold storages at farmgate, which make access to cold chains affordable for small and marginal farmers. They allow farmers to store their produce not only during extreme events when transportation is not possible, but also during peak harvesting season when farmers do not get remunerative prices due to a glut in the market. Additionally, use of solar energy and prevention of post-harvest losses avoids greenhouse gas emissions.
Diversification of incomes and livelihoods is the other adaptation strategy whose need is clearly highlighted in the survey. Apple cultivation is the primary source of income for the majority of the rural population in Shimla and Kullu districts. Diversification can cushion the farmers from financial and climatic shocks. The integrated beekeeping model promoted in apple farms will not only promote pollination, but also lead to additional income from honey and other beekeeping products.
The GIC India works with local Farmer Producer Organisations to anchor the innovations, as they play a key role in adaptation through experience and knowledge sharing among their member-farmers and through collective marketing.
Results from the survey also indicate the need for immediate relief for farmers to recover from and adapt to natural disasters. Heavy losses and damage to assets such as land, trees, and livestock, cannot be overcome in a single financial year, and require capital investment. In such cases small and marginal farmers will require financial relief packages. Government agencies try to fill this gap through the National and State Disaster Relief Funds.
Building resilience to multi-dimensional climatic impacts requires multi-dimensional solutions. It is through such locally appropriate and context-specific innovations, which cater to farmer’s needs while minimizing environmental impacts, that apple value chain can be strengthened towards resilience to future shocks. For farmers like Inder Singh, these integrated solutions offer hope to tide over the negative impacts of climate change in Himachal Pradesh.
The project Green Innovation Centres for the Agriculture and Food Sector is part of the special initiative ‘Transformation of Agricultural and Food Systems’ (SI AGER) formerly called ‘One World – No Hunger’ (SEWOH) of Germany’s Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). The project in India is being implemented by the implemented by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) Gmbh, in cooperation with the Indian Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare (MoA&FW). This article is based on an survey-based assessment with apple farmers carried out by the project team in Himachal Pradesh post the natural disasters in the year 2023.
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The CompensACTION Initiative for food security and a healthy planet, launched by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) in 2022, is gaining momentum. It aims to financially compensate smallholder farmers for their contribution to preserving ecosystems. Initial successes have been achieved in Ethiopia, Lesotho and Brazil.
The complex interrelationships of the sustainable transformation of agricultural and food systems are not always easy to understand - the Agri-Food Map, an interactive online app, makes the comprehensive relations accessible by providing a wide range of comprehensibly prepared information.
The production of animal-source foods is becoming increasingly difficult due to the impact of climate change on the livestock sector in Africa. Though, Livestock make a crucial contribution to food security in Africa. Three papers by the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), GIZ, ILRI and World Bank analyze, how Africas future livestock sector can look like.
With the annual topic "Earth’s well, all’s well!", Fairtrade Germany is focusing on the concept of agroecology at all levels - and is thus taking the next step towards achieving greater global sustainability. At the Green Week trade fair, Fairtrade Germany will show how this can be achieved taking the cocoa supply chain as an example.
What do chocolate, carrots and tequila have in common? What sounds like the ingredients for an experimental cocktail are foods that would not exist without certain animal species. They are examples of how nature works for us every day, often behind the scenes.
The Berlin start-up Klim is forging an alliance between farmers and companies. The aim is to use regenerative farming to remove CO2 from the atmosphere and sequester it as carbon in the soil. An interview with Nina Mannheimer.
The textile industry contributes significantly to environmental pollution as it produces over 100 billion garments every year, resulting in huge CO2 emissions and water consumption. Fashion designer Paul Kadjo uses banana silk as an environmentally friendly alternative to make textile production more environmentally conscious and socially just.
Allan Mubiru was standing in front of a shelf in Kigali, Rwanda, and discovered a local type of coffee. He took it, tasted it and was thrilled. A story about a grocery shopping trip that became the beginning of a successful business idea.
Global food systems are confronted with multiple stresses. It is more urgent than ever to make them more resilient, healthier and more sustainable. A key tool in such a transformation is reforming agricultural policies and repurposing agricultural support, as discussed in an online seminar co-organised by the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
During the Women Leadership Programme in May 2024, around 20 women from African countries and Germany met again for a one-week workshop in Bavaria, Germany to become fit for leadership in their organisations. One topic that concerns the women across countries is climate change, but also violence against women and their discrimination in agriculture.
As a passionate social scientist and entrepreneur from Malawi, Ngabaghila Chatata knows that she can overcome any challenge. Her story stands out in a country faced with high unemployment, particularly in its rural areas. As the managing director of Thanthwe Farms, she has set out to inspire the next generation of young agripreneurs – proving that successful business starts with the right mindset, not only capital.
Countries across Africa coordinate their efforts in the fight against corona by the Centre for Disease Control (CDC) of the African Union in Addis Abeba. Until now, the curve of new infections has been successfully flattened – why? Dr. Ahmed Ouma, Deputy Director, explains the work of CDC in an interview with Tilman Wörtz.
In August, Germany’s development ministry set up a division concentrating on One Health topics. Parliamentary State Secretary Maria Flachsbarth on knowledge gaps at the human-animal-environmental interface, the link between One Health and food security, and lessons learnt from previous pandemics.
Financial innovations can prevent a crisis turning into a catastrophe. The livelihoods of people in affected areas may well depend on intervention before a crisis – and on risk funds.
Innovation is the only way to end hunger worldwide by the deadline we have set ourselves. The secret lies in networking and sharing ideas – and several initiatives are already leading by example.
After four years of Donald Trump in the White House, it is time to take stock: What policies did the Republican government pursue in African regions? And what will change in favor of Joe Biden after the election decision? Here is an evaluation.
The COVID 19 pandemic is hitting developing and emerging countries and their poorest populations particularly hard. It is important to take countermeasures at an early stage. Companies in the German agricultural sector want to make their contribution to ensuring the availability of urgently needed operating resources.
Corona makes it even more difficult to achieve a world without hunger by 2030. So that this perspective does not get out of sight, Germany must play a stronger role internationally - a summary of the Strategic Advisory Group of SEWOH.
Time to dig deeper: We can only benefit from technical progress if we have a solid legal framework for everybody. But so far, none is in sight - in many countries. Instead, international corporations grow ever more powerful.
What contribution does development cooperation make to conflict prevention? What can it do for sustainable peace? Political scientist Karina Mroß talks to Raphael Thelen about post-conflict societies and their chances for peaceful development.
The Cashew Council is the first international organisation for a raw material stemming from Africa. The industry promises to make progress in processing and refining cashew nuts - and answers to climate change
Agnes Kalibata, AGRA president since 2014 and former minister of agriculture and wildlife in Rwanda, is convinced that Africa's economy will only grow sustainably if small-scale agriculture is also seen as an opportunity.
From a circular food system in Rwanda to functioning cooled transports in Kenya: The lab of tomorrow addresses development challenges such as preventing food loss and waste
In Zambia, innovative approaches are used to address the problem of post-harvest losses in the groundnut value chain. GIZ's Rapid Loss Appraisal Tool (RLAT) can help to develop more such approaches.
The climate crisis fuels world hunger. What needs to change in the global fight against hunger, and which role plays humanitarian aid in international development cooperation?
In March 2022, the virtual conference ICTforAg summons leading actors in the agrartechnology and food sector from low- and middle-income countries to exchange ideas advancing resilience, nutrition and agriculture-led growth.
The oceans are important for our food supply, but they are overfished. To halt this trend the global community is now taking action against illegal fishing. Journalist Jan Rübel spoke with Francesco Marí, a specialist for world food, agricultural trade and maritime policy at "Brot für die Welt," and others.
When women have control over the resources of a household and manage the income, it usually leads to a more balanced and healthier diet for the family. But often the decision-making power lies with the men. How can this gender inequality be addressed? The GIZ global project Food Security and Resilience provides insights into project work on gender-transformative approaches finances by the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).
A Contribution by the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development
At the network meeting "Partners for change - Transformation to a food secure, resilient and sustainable future", almost 250 participants from over 20 countries came together to exchange experiences and ideas on the transformation of agricultural and food systems. The final product, joint recommendations to transform agricultural and food systems, can now be read online.
Halfway through the 2030 Agenda, the BMZ invited participants to a network meeting entitled "Partners for change - Transformation to a food secure, resilient and sustainable future". Experts from around the world developed recommendations in a consultation process and then consolidated them in Berlin. A site visit.
A Contribution by Harry Hoffmann (TMG) & Nathalie Demel (WHH)
At the halfway mark of the 2030 Agenda and two years after the UN Food System Summit 2021, a stocktaking moment was held in Rome to analyze the progress of countries on the commitments to action in transforming food systems. Dr Harry Hoffmann, TMG Think Tank, and Nathalie Demel, Welthungerhilfe, were on site and take stock as well.
It takes the joint efforts of diverse actors to achieve a transformative impact on the global food system. Barbara Rehbinder, Scaling Up Nutrition Movement (SUN), discusses four people-centred principles to get closer to this goal.
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