With COP30 underway, I travelled through parts of Bundelkhand to understand how India’s small farmers—who make up the overwhelming majority of cultivators—are coping with the stresses of climate change. I wanted to meet those who are increasingly vulnerable as well as those who have begun adapting, and to understand both adaptation and mitigation efforts on the ground.
Bundelkhand, in central India, has seen some of the most erratic and damaging weather patterns in recent years. The previous kharif season was particularly devastating: relentless, excessive rain prevented sowing in many places, and whatever was sown was largely destroyed. Marumar village in Tikamgarh district of Madhya Pradesh was among the worst hit.
There I met Shishupal Singh, who owns three and a half acres. His entire kharif crop was ruined, and with no compensation forthcoming, he had no savings left to plant the rabi crop. With no option but to borrow at exorbitant rates, he took a ₹40,000 loan from a private moneylender at 3 percent monthly compound interest—despite mortgaging valuables to negotiate a lower rate. Poorer farmers without such collateral were forced to borrow at 5 percent a month. Like many others, Shishupal has managed to sow his winter crop but has been pushed deeper into a debt trap that will be difficult to escape.
Not far from this distressing picture are farmers who have consciously tried to adapt to increasingly unpredictable weather. Their experience demonstrates what is possible with timely support from civil society and the government. Among them is Balchandra Ahirwar, a small farmer who has become widely known for his innovative and climate-resilient practices. I had visited him earlier but returned to see how he had dealt with the same kharif disaster that crippled most farmers around him.
Balchandra’s transformation has been supported by SRIJAN, a voluntary organisation working to promote natural and diversified farming in several villages. Although he owns only two acres, he has turned his land into a highly diversified and resilient farm ecosystem. He grows around 40 crops; his multi-layer vegetable garden alone contains over 20 varieties of vegetables, herbs, and spices. More than 60 fruit trees—guava, lemon, papaya, mango, jackfruit—dot the farm.
For most farmers in the area, the kharif crop is the principal source of income, so its destruction leaves them with no earnings until March or April of the following year. But Balchandra’s diversified farm continues producing vegetables and fruits round the year. The sales from this produce sustained his family when the rains destroyed other crops, and also improved their nutrition. He did not have to borrow a rupee to take up rabi sowing.
Equally important is the fact that Balchandra’s shift to natural farming has freed him from dependence on costly chemical fertilizers and pesticides. He prepares his own organic inputs using cow dung, cow urine and farm-based materials. At a time when farmers were scrambling to buy fertilizers in short supply, he had no such worry. His home-made pest repellent also reduced costs and chemical exposure.
Through a bio-resource centre set up with SRIJAN’s help, he produces more natural inputs than he needs and sells the surplus to other farmers at affordable prices, adding another small but steady income stream. These interventions—crop diversity, natural farming, local input production—have collectively strengthened his ability to withstand climate shocks. SRIJAN has been promoting similar models in other villages, including Marumar, though results there will take more time to show as the work is relatively recent.
The ecological changes on Balchandra’s farm are striking. Soil health has steadily improved; earthworms now appear in such abundance that he mentions their presence with delight. Natural pollinators—bees, birds, butterflies—have returned. Harmful pests have sharply declined. His two brothers have also shifted to natural farming, and as someone who stays alert to government schemes, he now actively guides other villagers to adopt these practices. Despite belonging to a traditionally disadvantaged community, he is influencing the wider village through the strength of his example.
His mitigation contributions are also significant. By avoiding chemical fertilizers and pesticides, he has eliminated a major source of fossil-fuel-linked emissions. Using a power tiller instead of a tractor has cut diesel consumption by nearly two-thirds. He has planted around 80 trees on his small plot, and the improved moisture and soil conditions are enabling new saplings to sprout naturally. Natural farming’s lower water requirements also reduce pressure on groundwater and energy used for pumping. The enriched soil is capturing more carbon.
These changes have taken shape over six years, during which the overall production of food and fodder on his farm has actually increased when its diversity is factored in. The produce is healthier and contributes to better family nutrition.
Yet it is important to recognise that not every small farmer will have the time, stamina or creativity to replicate such a transformation on their own. For wider adoption, both government and civil society need to invest in long-term, well-funded programmes that support natural and diversified farming. Climate finance and climate justice funds should be channelled into building such resilience among smallholder farmers. At the same time, more thought must go into involving landless households in ways that benefit them as well.
Two cautionary issues also need attention. As natural farming gains popularity, a parallel market of gadgets, implements and products—often unnecessary and expensive—has emerged. Even capable farmers like Balchandra can be persuaded into buying items they do not need, risking new forms of debt. Natural farming must not become another path into financial vulnerability; its goal should be reduced dependence on external inputs, lower costs and enhanced self-reliance.
The second concern relates to social challenges. In many villages, growing availability of alcohol has become a barrier to the creativity and consistency required in natural farming. Some of the most successful and innovative farmers I have met, including Balchandra, avoid alcohol entirely. A serious effort to reduce alcohol consumption is essential for strengthening rural livelihoods and resilience.
Small farmers across India are responding with remarkable courage to the accelerating pressures of climate change. Some are finding new pathways of resilience; others are struggling under the weight of repeated losses and mounting debt. Their future cannot depend solely on their individual efforts. With stronger public support, patient hand-holding and thoughtful reforms, many more farmers can move onto the path that farmers like Balchandra have painstakingly carved out.
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The writer is Honorary Convener, Campaign to Save Earth Now, and author of Protecting Earth for Children, Planet in Peril, A Day in 2071, and India’s Quest for Sustainable Farming and Healthy Food
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