Farmers devastated after looming threat destroys crops: 'Highly damaging'

A shift in rainfall patterns in western Maharashtra, India, damaged crops for 720 farmers in 63 villages.

According to The Times of India, heavy rainfall in the area is unusual for September, but in 2025, substantial rain fell for weeks. 

The consequences of a shifting climate have put the livelihoods of farmers and the area's agricultural industry in jeopardy. 

What's happening?

The Times of India reported that the heavy rain damaged 273 hectares of crops in western Maharashtra. 

Several crops were "at a crucial stage of growth" when the rain hit. Now, the crops are waterlogged, rotting, infested by pests, or in complete failure. Irrigation channels, too, are damaged.  

The affected farmers' representatives requested compensation and aid, but as farmers reported damages to local revenue officers, more rain was expected to come. The extent of the damage could likely worsen. 

"We are seeing concentrated burst of rain instead of uniform distribution," a Pune agricultural scientist said, per The Times of India. "This is highly damaging for agriculture, especially perishable crops like vegetables and flowers." 

Why is crop damage concerning?

When extreme weather events, such as torrential rainfall, drought, or heatwaves, damage crops, consumers pay more for goods to make up for the limited supply. 

While consumers face the effects of grocery price hikes, the hardworking farmers who labor to feed the planet take agricultural losses the hardest.

According to Oxfam, farmers face inequality and poverty due to rising global temperatures and increasingly severe extreme weather conditions. 

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Not only do they consequently experience production losses, but farmers are also exposed to extreme heat, pesticides, disease-carrying pests, and poor air quality, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.  

The combination of an influx of agricultural damage and the degradation of farmers' health will impact the food supply for years to come. 

What's being done about crop failures?

In India, programs have made it so farmers can more easily access insurance to cover damage from extreme weather events, according to the World Economic Forum. 

Meanwhile, in the United States, the Department of Agriculture announced in July that farmers negatively impacted by natural disasters in 2023 and 2024 can apply for financial assistance via the Supplemental Disaster Relief Program. 

These examples of farmer assistance benefit agricultural producers, but they do not have the power to increase crop yields. 

Still, by protecting the planet's farmers, we can help them to build resilience and engage in action to prevent future losses with careful planning. 

While scientists are working on gene-edited crops that can better withstand weather extremes, it might take some time before these are brought to fields. 

In the meantime, reducing human-caused pollution — by switching to renewable energy or ditching gas-guzzling cars — can slow the production of planet-warming gases that increase global temperatures and exacerbate extreme weather conditions.

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