Creating Sustainable Agriculture Supply Chain Ecosystem for Remunerative Markets Under Changing Climate in Uttarakhand

Abstract

Major issues in the sustainable development agenda include how to ensure the involvement of producers. Little research has been done of the agricultural supply chain to identify what adaptive measures are being considered or have already been taken for creating remunerative markets. Based on discussions with producers, processors, and retailers from Uttarakhand and nearby regions, this study examines to what extent the Uttarakhand agricultural supply chain ecosystem can sustain and transform with climate change. Perhaps farmers are implicitly taking initiatives to adapt to climate change. These include changing sowing and harvesting timing, cultivation of crops of short duration varieties, inter-cropping, organic farming, agritourism, contract farming, and food processing. These changes may be considered as passive responses or adaptation strategies to climate change. Currently, agricultural practices and policies are perceived as a greater adaptation challenge than climate change, and extra efforts are required to create a remunerative agricultural supply chain ecosystem.

Farmers’ resilience to climate change through the circular economy and sustainable agriculture: a review from developed and developing countries

“…Natural conservation and financial access were determinants for farmers to adopt sustainable techniques (Kopytko, 2019). Remunerative markets (agritourism, contract farming, and integrated food processing) can help support farmers' financial sustainability (Trivedi and Sunder, 2021). Singh et al (2021) found that flood-recession farming can upscale community livelihood and food security and improve environmental conditions near the river.…”

“…Practices such as using organic fertilizer and intercropping maize and legumes (Maggio, Mastrorillo and Sitko, 2022) and combining mulching and irrigation with farming activities can help farmers adapt to CC (Byrareddy et al, 2021). Remunerative markets, such as agritourism or contract farming, and the rice-fish farming system can generate high farm income and productivity, hence providing farmers with financial sustainability (Bosma et al, 2012;Trivedi and Sunder, 2021). Moreover, agroecology or flood recession farming can also provide such benefits while mitigating CC and improving environmental conditions (Rakotovao et al, 2021;Singh et al, 2021).…”