Excess moisture has done significant damage to ginger crops in India, according to The Tribune. 

What's happening?

The district of Sirmaur in the northern state of Himachal Pradesh lost 25% of its ginger crop yields because of rhizome rot. Heavy rains over the summer provided the perfect environment to infect root systems.

"I have been growing ginger for 15 years, but this year the crop has almost collapsed," local farmer Ramesh Kumar told The Tribune. "Nearly half of what I sowed has rotted underground. We had high hopes from the market prices but now we are staring at debt." 

India experienced the earliest monsoon season in over a decade, which damaged many crops. Onion, tomato, rice, lemon, orange, cashew, and mango crops have all declined steeply as a result of weather challenges. 

Why are ginger yields important?

"Our household depends on ginger sales every season," another local farmer, Kamla Devi, said. "This year, the disease destroyed a major portion of the crop. The cost of seed, fertiliser, and labour has already been spent, and now we are left with nothing. The government support is the only hope for small farmers like us." 

The economic hardships of farmers get passed on to consumers. Prices for ginger in Sirmaur have doubled in some instances. Grocery prices across the board have been rising significantly as crops fail. 

Dropping ginger yields is another example of how increasing pollution is leading to extreme weather events that directly affect everyone. Floods, droughts, and heat waves are impacting housing as well as ecology. 

What's being done about failing crops?

As Devi mentioned, government support remains one of the few stopgaps available for farmers in these circumstances. Governments can act as a buffer, able to buy crops at rates that keep farmers afloat and sell stores at lower rates to protect consumers from exploding prices.

Attacking the root cause of destructive weather patterns will require substantive cuts in emissions. In India, for example, the accelerating use of coal power remains a major hurdle to the country's net-zero pollution goals. It will need to redouble efforts in wind and solar energy if it hopes to tamp down these heat-trapping gases and the patterns destroying food production systems. 

What is the biggest reason you don't grow food at home? Not enough time ⏳ Not enough space 🤏 It seems too hard 😬 I have a garden already 😎 Click your choice to see results and speak your mind.

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