1. Agro-Ecological Zones in India

Tropical wet and dry

We are taking Eastern coastal areas separately from the other tropical wet and dry areas because this area is highly influenced by climate change.

This agro-ecoregion comprises the south-eastern coastal plain, extending from Kanyakumari to Gangetic Delta. This region covers an area of 8.5 m ha, representing 2.6 per cent of the total geographical area of the country. The Eastern Coast extending from anyakumari to Gangetic delta experiences wide range of climate conditions. The coastal parts between Kanyakumari and south of Thanjavur (Tamil Nadu) and between north of Chennai and west Godavari (Andhra Pradesh) receive the rainfall of 900 to 1100 mm.

Both rainfed and irrigated agriculture are practiced in the region. The lead crop cultivated in the area, both in kharif and rabi season, is rice. Coconut is a dominant plantation crop of the region. In some parts, pulses, such as blackgram and lentil, and oilseed crops, such as sunflower and groundnut are cultivated after rice (on residual moisture). Besides agriculture, raising of coastal and brackish water fisheries are important economic activities of the coastal people.

Constraints

• Imperfect to poor drainage conditions and limiting oxygen availability adversely affect crop yield.
• Soil salinity (and sodicity at places) resulting from poor drainage conditions adversely affect crop production.
• The area is prone to cyclone during monsoon and retreating monsoon periods. [1]

The speed with which the sea is capturing land has forced the locals to spend sleepless nights fearing for their lives and properties. The local business community which includes hoteliers and those involved in the travel trade also apprehend that the town would soon lose its charm as a major tourism and religious destination if the government did not step in to address the problem. The sea erosion in Puri has been taking place slowly since the last four to five years. However, the situation worsened last month when a portion of the marine drive was washed away by tidal wave. [3]

A classic example is the Sunderbans area. Life on the remote inhabited islands of the Indian Sundarbans is far removed from the world of glitzy shopping malls, flyovers, jet-set- ting middle classes and highflying life that India Shining has come to be exemplified by. In fact, the basic amenities of life are yet to be available to the inhabitants of these islands. Yet, poorest on these islands are paying the price of global warming and rising sea levels as more than 10,000 environmental refugees struggle for survival here. [4]

 
Bengal's watery grave is a tragic story of Nasim Aktar from Malda district of north Bengal written by Nilanjan Dutta. It was published in The Times of India dated 22/06/2006.[5]  It is a story of a family that was affected by land erosion. There are 6, 00,000 people displaced in the two districts. There are families that have been displaced 16 times.
 

Other areas under tropical dry and wet regions

The agro-ecoregion with hot, subhumid climate and red and black soils covers part of Malwa plateau and Bundelkhand uplands including Baghelkhand plateau, Narmada valley, Vindhyan scarplands and northern fringe of Maharashtra plateau, and some districts of Madhya Pradesh. It covers an area of 22.3 m ha representing 5.8 per cent of the total geographic area of the country.

It also constitutes Chhotanagpur Plateau of Bihar, western parts of West Bengal, Eastern Ghats (Dandakaranya and Garhjat hills) of Orissa and Bastar Region of Chhattisgarh. It occupies an area of 26.8 m ha, representing 8.2 per cent of the total geographical area of the country. The climate of the region is characterized by hot summers and cool winters. The area receives an annual rainfall of 1000-1600 mm which covers about 80 per cent of the PET leaving deficit of 500 to 700 mm of water per year.

Rainfed farming is the traditional practice with cultivation of rice, pulses (moong, blackgram and pigeonpea) and groundnut. In rabi season, rice (at places) and wheat are cultivated mostly under irrigated condition. The natural vegetation comprises tropical dry and moist deciduous forests. However, rich farmers grow rice, wheat and gram and, at places, cotton using irrigation facilities.

Constraints

• The soils are susceptible to severe erosion hazard.
• Seasonal droughtiness limits optimum crop yields.
• Cracking clayey soils having narrow workable moisture conditions.
• Dry tillage and inter-tillage practices are difficult to perform.
• Risk of inundation of the cropped areas during rainy season and risk of acute droughtinessKharif season leading to crop failure at places.
• Soil loss due to heavy runoff during rainy season resulting in stagnation of water and poor germination.
• Deficiency of N, P and Zn resulting in nutrient imbalances. [6]

due to prolonged dry spells in
Orissa celebrates Nuakhai - a festival that marks a good harvest, but climate change may put a halt on such celebrations. Agriculture in the state largely depends on nature and climate change is going to hit it badly. Climate change has been affecting the state from the last couple of years. In Orissa, rainfall has become more erratic and less compatible to crop schedules. According to reports only seven of the last 25 years have normal or more than normal rainfall. The rest have been deficient rainfall years. Disasters have spread to new areas. Floods have wreaked havoc for years in the state, drought prone districts like Balangir, Kalahandi, Koraput, Bargarh and Jharsuguda are facing recurrent flash flood furies while heat waves have begun hitting coastal regions. [7]