UPSC CSE Prelims 2014
Climate change poses potentially devastating effects on India’s agriculture. While the overall parameters of climate change are increasingly accepted—a 1 °C average temperature increase over the next 30 years, sea level rise of less than 10 cm in the same period, and regional monsoon variations and corresponding droughts—the impacts in India are likely to be quite site and crop-specific. Some crops may respond favourably to the changing conditions, others may not. This emphasizes the need to promote agricultural research and create maximum flexibility in the system to permit adaptations.
The key ingredient for ‘drought proofing’ is the managed recharge of aquifers. To ensure continued yields of important staple crops (e.g., wheat), it may also be necessary to shift the locations where these crops are grown, in response to temperature changes as well as to water availability. The latter will be a key factor in a making long-term investment decisions.
For example, water run-off from the Himalayas is predicted to increase over the next 30 years as glaciers melt but then decline substantially thereafter. It will be critical to provide incentives to plan for these large-scale shifts in agro-ecological conditions.
Indian needs to make long-term investments in research and development in agriculture. India is likely to experience changed weather patterns in future.
According to the passage, why is it important to promote agricultural research in India?
The passage explicitly states, "Some crops may respond favourably to the changing conditions, others may not. This emphasizes the need to promote agricultural research and create maximum flexibility in the system to permit adaptations." This indicates that the primary purpose of promoting agricultural research, according to the passage, is to enhance the adaptability of crops to the diverse and evolving agro-ecological conditions brought about by climate change.
Option (A): To predict variations in monsoon patterns and to manage water resources
While the passage mentions regional monsoon variations and water availability as critical aspects of climate change impacts and long-term investment decisions, it does not identify the prediction of monsoon patterns or the general management of water resources as the central reason for promoting agricultural research. Agricultural research, in this context, is focused on crop adaptation to these changes.
Option (B): To make long-term investment decisions for economic growth
The passage notes that water availability will be a key factor in making long-term investment decisions and that India needs long-term investments in agricultural research and development. However, making investment decisions is presented as a consequence or a related necessity influenced by climate impacts, not as the direct, primary reason for promoting agricultural research itself. The core emphasis for research is on enabling crop adaptation.
Option (D): To predict drought conditions and to recharge aquifers
The passage identifies the managed recharge of aquifers as a "key ingredient for ‘drought proofing’." While drought is a significant concern related to climate change, the passage does not state that the promotion of agricultural research is specifically for predicting drought conditions or for the act of recharging aquifers. These are specific mitigation strategies or observations, distinct from the overarching purpose of agricultural research as stated in the context of crop adaptability.