Ahmedabad: A study of the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad (IIM-A) states that emission of Nitrous Oxide (N2O), due to the excessive use of fertilizers by farmers in the country, is significantly adding to global warming. In addition, the study suggests that with better planning, there can be increase in the national food grain production without further increasing the emission.
As per sources, the study, published in the international journal 'Climatic Change' in the month of May 2011, said that average annual emission of N2O of a district in the country has gone up from 305 tons in 1990 to 450 tons in 2005. One of the major reasons for this alarming rise is increase in the use of fertilizers. This is due to the fact that over past two decades, there has been gradual transition from traditional to modern agriculture which has spiked the use of fertilizers.
According to Amit Garg, faculty of IIM-A, who conducted the study along with IIM-A professor PR Shukla and research associate at the institute Jigeesha Upadhyay, said that the use of fertilizers in agricultural farms beyond a limit does not increase the amount of yield; rather, it increases the amount of N2O emissions.
Furthermore, Mr Garg, as a suggestion to the issue, has said that farmers should be educated about the limitations in the use of fertilizers in their farmland. He said that the distribution of fertilizers needs to be reworked. The excessive use of fertilizers by states like Punjab and UP could be diverted to states like Bihar where there is still scope for use of fertilizers to increase food grain production. He mentioned that this will considerably boost the contribution of agricultural sector to the national GDP without an increase in the NO2 emission. Besides, this calls for a microscopic analysis and planning of the farm lands in the country.
