Tuesday, November 26, 2013

Seminar on "Climate Change - Impact on Agriculture in India"

 

Social Cause
(Society Regd. No.614/2003)
&
Liberty Institute, New Delhi
 
Cordially invite you and your friends to a one-day Seminar on
 
Climate Change - Impact on Agriculture in India
 
Date & Time: 7th December, 2013 (Saturday) from 9.30 a.m. to 4.00 p.m.
 
Venue: Conference Hall, National Institute of Nutrition (NIN), Tarnaka, Hyderabad
 
Registration Fee: Rs.50/- (Rupees Fifty Only)
 
Speakers:
1) Prof. A. Padma Raju, Vice-Chancellor, Acharya N.G. Ranga Agricultural University
2) Dr. B. Venkateswarlu, Director, Central Research Institute for Dryland Agriculture (CRIDA)
3) Dr. Rajeswar Jonnalagadda, Director-Training, Centre for Climate Change & Environment Advisory (CCCEA) 
4) Dr. S. Jeevananda Reddy, Former Chief Technical Advisor, World Meteorological Organisation-UN
5) Dr. R.N. Singh, Former Director, National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI), Nagpur
6) Sri Barun Mitra, Director, Liberty Institute, New Delhi
7) Dr. B. Dinesh Kumar, Scientist (E), National Institute of Nutrition (NIN)
8) Dr. D. Suryakumari, Director, Centre for People's Forestry
 
To participate, register online at http://goo.gl/c9U40T
 
For further details:
Sri Chalasani Narender - 9849569050
Dr. S. Linga Murthy - 9014030809 
 
Limited seats are avaialble and you may register early in order to ensure your seat. You will be confirmed of your registration through email. If there is a change in your plans and you are unable to attend, please do inform us via email so that we would be able to open the slots for those on the waiting list.
 
Registration fee is inclusive of fee for material kit, lunch and tea. It is to be paid in cash at the reception counter at the venue before the start of the programme while collecting the material kit.
 
May we solicit the favour of circulating this invitation to your friends in Hyderabad?
 
On facebook you can accept the invitation at https://www.facebook.com/events/678830282151947
 
You may invite your friends through facebook event invitation or email.
 
'LIKE' Social Cause page on face book at www.facebook.com/SocialCause.India and be in touch with us.
 

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Climate Change - What May Happen?
 
1) Extreme Heat - World is experiencing a warming climate. Unusual and unprecedented spells of hot weather are expected to occur far more frequently and cover much larger areas. Under increasing warming, the west coast and southern India are projected to shift to new, high-temperature climatic regimes. Certain crop yields are expected to fall significantly because of extreme heat.
 
2) Changing Rainfall Patterns - A decline in monsoon rainfall since the 1950s has been observed. The frequency of heavy rainfall events has also increased. Global warming may make monsoons highly unpredictable. Dry years are expected to be drier and wet years wetter.
 
3) Draughts - Evidence indicates that parts of South Asia have become drier since the 1970s with an increase in the number of droughts. Droughts affect crop area and lead to fall in crop production.
 
4) Depleting Groundwater - More than 60% of India's agriculture is rain-fed, making the country highly dependent on groundwater. Besides over exploitation, climate change may adversely affect ground water levels.         
 
5) Glacier Melt - Loss of snow cover over the Himalayas are expected to threaten the stability and reliability of northern India's primary glacier-fed rivers, particularly the Indus and the Brahmaputra.
 
6) Sea Level Rise - Saltwater intrusion in the coastal area would degrade groundwater quality and contaminate drinking water.
 
Impact on Agriculture
 
Climate change can affect crop yields (both positively and negatively), as well as the types of crops that be grown in certain area, by impacting agricultural inputs such as water for irrigation, amounts of solar radiation that affect plant growth, as well as the prevalence of pests. The impact of climate change on agriculture could result in problems with food security and may threaten the livelihood activities of those dependent on agriculture.
 
Objective of the Seminar
 

Climate is for ever changing. Yet, over the past decade, concern over possible changes in the planet's climate has come to dominate the popular and scholarly discourse. At the same time, the scientific debate has intensified on the nature and possible causes underlying changing climate. Questions have arisen over the significance of man-made green house gases in stimulating global warming. Science progresses through such rational criticism and objective discourse, and not through consensus invoked by any authority. Given the open ended nature of science, public policy responses need to recognize the diverse economic preferences of people, and assess the varying technical viability of different proposals. A healthy intellectual climate is vital to our understanding of the planet's climate.

The Seminar is intended to deliberate upon different aspects of impact of climate change on agriculture in India, the steps that can be taken in order to mitigate the negative impacts and the possible adaptation measures.


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