India’s fast-expanding agricultural practices are worsening its climate change challenges. Increased use of chemical fertilisers, aggressive paddy cultivation, and soil degradation are driving emissions. Government measures are underway but deeper, more sustainable reforms are urgently needed.

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• Agriculture now second-largest contributor to India’s greenhouse gas emissions
• Total agricultural emissions rose 4.5% from 2016 to 2019
• Expansion of farmland often involved deforestation, worsening carbon emissions
• Paddy cultivation emits up to 60 million tons methane yearly
• Chemical fertilisers cause air, water pollution, and severe health risks
• Groundwater contamination rising due to nitrate runoff
• Punjab, Haryana facing soil health loss and groundwater depletion
• Government promoting System of Rice Intensification (SRI) and Direct Seeded Rice (DSR)
• Soil Health Card (SHC) scheme introduced to optimize fertiliser use
• Shift to organic farming, mixed cropping, hydroponics seen as urgent need