Opinion NREGA and climate change
As the Copenhagen Climate Conference continues,it may be of interest to see how the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act...
As the Copenhagen Climate Conference continues,it may be of interest to see how the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act,our most ambitious poverty reduction programme to date,fares with respect to climate change.
NREGA links two of the most critical problems of our times: namely,extreme poverty and climate change. The linkage is forged through environmental services which are provided by rural households when they engage in works under NREGA. Defined and prioritised under the act,works can significantly change the environment through rejuvenation of the natural resource base. Water conservation,land development and afforestation through NREGA can provide local services such as ground-water recharge,enhanced soil fertility and increased biomass. These,in turn,can generate global benefits such as adaptation to and mitigation of climate change and biodiversity conservation.
While the primary objective of the act is poverty alleviation,a further objective is stated …as creation of durable assets and strengthening the livelihoods base of the rural poor…
The livelihoods of the rural poor are directly dependent on environmental resources land,water,forests and are vulnerable to weather and climate variability as water stress increases,groundwater levels recede,soil fertility declines and forest habitats disappear. Climate change will only exacerbate the vulnerabilities of the rural poor. As climate-sensitive,natural ecosystems deteriorate,subsistence will slip further out of reach. Indias rural poor,who have least contributed to it,will pay some of the problems heaviest tolls.
So what can NREGA do? First,it is designed to provide employment and income to the rural household,contributing directly to livelihoods security,adversely affected by climate change.
Second,NREGA lays down the priority of works that may be taken up under the scheme. The focus is on water conservation,drought-proofing,afforestation,tree plantation,minor irrigation works,renovation of traditional water bodies,desilting of tanks,land development,flood control and protection,drainage in water-logged areas and rural connectivity,in that order. Of the 2.7 million works being undertaken in over 600 districts,nearly 80 per cent are water,land and forestry-related. These not only provide local environmental services,they have the potential to yield co-benefits of adaptation and mitigation to global climate change; the former through rejuvenation of the livelihood base and thereby strengthening resilience of rural communities,the latter through enhanced carbon sequestration in agricultural soils,pasturelands and woody perennials.
Third,the recent thrust on creating durable and productive assets through convergence of NREGA works with programmes of agriculture and allied sectors are leading to enhanced yields. With the scope of works under NREGA expanded to include lands of small and marginal farmers,it is possible to significantly enhance the irrigation potential in rainfed areas and drought-proof small-holder agriculture,leading to sustainable,higher yields. Conservation technologies stress-tolerant,climate-resilient varieties of seeds,drip irrigation,zero-tillage,raised-bed planting,laser-levelling,Systems of Rice Intensification (SRI),can build adaptive capacities to cope with increasing water stress,providing more crop per drop.
Similarly,strengthening land development practices such as land levelling,conservation bench terracing,contour and graded bunding,and pasture development prevent soil erosion and loss of organic matter. Reclamation of wastelands and degraded lands together with afforestation,horticulture plantation and agro-forestry have the potential to sequester carbon both above and below ground,thereby contributing to carbon mitigation.
A surfeit of anecdotal evidence points to the beneficial impact of NREGA in reducing vulnerabilities and building resilience. Scientifically backing up much anecdotal evidence is a field study conducted by a research team led by the Indian Institute of Sciences Professor Ravindranath in the semi-arid region of Chitradurga district of Karnataka,the environmental services provided under NREGA have been quantified and measured,and a Livelihood Vulnerability Index constructed. The study shows a significant decline in vulnerability as a result of NREGA intervention.
The climate genie cannot be pushed back into the bottle. In a world that will continue warming,NREGA has the potential to create sustainable rural livelihoods. Further,linking land-use changes brought about by NREGA to the rapidly growing external carbon financial markets may further incentivise poverty reduction and greenhouse gas mitigation,while making environmental conservation a profitable undertaking for rural communities,thereby introducing a new type of sustainability.
In either case there is need to develop robust methodologies for measurement and accounting of environmental services provided under NREGA. As a first step,this will help in identifying,recognising and rewarding those rural communities which have effectively harnessed NREGA for green employment generation.
Whether the mood of the current crisis will foster any meaningful agreements and roadmaps at Copenhagen remains to be seen. Meanwhile,this one pathway holds much promise for India to overcome the local impacts of global climate change.
The writer is Secretary to Government of India,Ministry of Rural Development. The views expressed are personal.
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