Assessing the carbon footprint and sustainability index of Indian agriculture

Agriculture is a must for a sufficient supply of food for the whole world and for economic growth. Nevertheless, it comes with an essential amount of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions responsible for approximately 13.5% of the total human-made emissions. The pollution is due to the sector, mainly because of methane (CH₄) releases that come from livestock and rice farming, nitrous oxide (N₂O) emissions of fertilizer use, and carbon dioxide (CO₂) made from agricultural machinery and energy use. For a country of the size of India, ensuring food security becomes even more challenging if we consider the warming climate. India has to evaluate the carbon footprint (CF) of major crops as a step to provide for its increasing food requirements and save the climate. The present study is aimed at pinpointing the carbon footprint of Indian agriculture by the analysis of the greenhouse gas emission of its basic food crops, namely cereals, pulses, and oilseeds. It is the study, which follows a systematic approach, such as input-output evaluations, emission factor calculations, and trend analysis that analyses the CF both at per-hectare and overall scales. For the purpose, a sustainability index is generated to weigh the environmental efficiency of different cropping systems. The study puts significant evidence on the table against the state of the agricultural system by means of the comprehensive analysis of the emissions through different regions and the years, thus making it possible for policymakers to draw data-driven suggestions for sustainable farming. The results can be expected to power the building of climate-resilient and resource-efficient farms, thus bringing India closer to the objectives of sustainability in the years to come.