Untimely rains threaten India winter crops just before harvesting
Extreme weather has threatened the harvesting season in India, a top global agricultural producer. The top crops the country produces include wheat, chickpeas, and rapeseed, which are staples around the world in food consumption. Crops were planted in the fall, and throughout this year’s growing season the country has faced extreme weather conditions, specifically in terms of heat stress (which leads to early maturation), and more recently wind, hail, and rain (which destroys crops and leads to difficulties during harvesting). This will have impacts on global food consumption, as consumers that India provides for will be forced to find alternatives in the face of the shortage. This is especially pertinent to the availability of rapeseed oil: edible oil consumers will have to find alternatives such as sunflower oil and palm oil. In addition El Nino weather patterns will augment the patterns of dryness and heat in the country, which will further affect crops. Overall, the economy in India will decrease with the loss of a portion of its major source of production.
This article is reflective of a weather pattern that occurs yearly, yet this year the average effects of that weather pattern are reportedly much worse. As the second largest producer of crops like wheat, vegetables, and rice, India will be harmed in the short term by the destruction of their seasonal livelihood. In addition, over half of the land in the country is used as farmland, so this occurrence will affect the entire nation and most of its people. Not only will weather patterns have an impact on India, they will also carry over to importers of Indian food resources as well. The world is attempting to move towards widespread sustainability and food security for all, and these seasonal detriments to crops will cut progress short.
In International Relations, we have recently discussed the role of the United Nations on the global stage. The UN has a wide variety of tasks to carry out, and some of these includes supporting countries who incur damage from natural disasters and promoting sustainable habits and processes to reach green energy and consumption goals. The UN might make moves in this situation to support India because the events there will affect every nation in the organization, and assisting in the case of environmental hardships lines up with the goals of the UN. In addition, we have discussed the general idea of certain countries impacting others through production, consumption, and various specializations, and this is obviously a large part of the events in India as harmful weather won’t just affect those who reside in India but people around the world as well.