Title: Greenhouse Gas Emission fromIndian Agriculture: Trends, Drivers and Mitigation Strategies
Abstract: Climate change, caused by the increase in concentrations of greenhouse gases (GHGs) in the atmosphere, has emerged as the most prominent environmental issue all over the world.It will have a considerable impact on agriculture including crops, livestock and fisheries.Agriculture, crucial for ensuring food, nutritional and livelihood security of India, is exposed to the stresses arising from climatic variability and climate change.Agriculture sector is also a major contributor to the enhanced greenhouse effect with the emissions of carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide.Indian agricultural sector emitted about 420 Mt of CO 2 eq.during 2010.Enteric fermentation contributed 56% of the emission followed by agricultural soil (23%) and rice fields (18%).On-farm burning of crop residues and manure management contributed 2% and 1% of the emission, respectively.During 1970-2010, the GHGs emission from Indian agriculture has increased by about 75%.The increasing use of fertilizers and other agri-inputs and the rising population of livestock are the major drivers for this increase in GHGs emission.The relative contribution of Indian agriculture to the total GHGs emission from all the sectors of the country, however, has decreased from 33% in 1970 to 18% in 2010.Mitigation of GHGs emission from agriculture can be achieved by sequestering C and reducing the emissions of methane and nitrous oxide through changes in land-use management and enhancing input-use efficiency.A win-win solution would be to develop such mitigation strategies that help in climate change adaptation and promote sustainable agricultural development.