India's Drought Highlights Challenges of Climate Change Adaptation

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http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=indias-drought-highlights-challenges-climate-change-adaptation

India is in the midst of its second drought in four years, with rainfall roughly 20 percent below average nationwide. In the nation's agricultural areas of the west and north -- the states of Rajasthan, Gujarat, Haryana and Maharashtra, for example -- the situation is far worse. In Punjab -- India's "food basket" -- rainfall is 70 percent below average.

"We know that the rainfall in August will not be able to fill the gap, and the problem is getting really serious," said Harjeet Singh, international climate justice coordinator at ActionAid. "The impacts on the ground in terms of food security are yet to be seen. Unless the government prepares, it could be really tragic."

Three-quarters of India's annual rainfall comes from the summer monsoons that occur between June and September. Once the rains begin, India's farmers sow their summer crops, mainly rice but also oilseed and sugar cane.

The agricultural sector lies at the core of Indian society. Sixty percent of the population works in agriculture, and it accounts for roughly a fifth of the country's gross domestic product.