How is India particularly vulnerable to heat-related stress on its food system? 

Extreme heat, a “threat multiplier”

The report, titled ‘Extreme Heat and Agriculture’, refers to extreme heat as “a situation where daytime and nighttime temperatures rise above their usual ranges for a protracted period, leading to physiological stress and direct physical damage to food crops, livestock, fish, trees and human beings.” 

The report also underlines that although reference to extreme heat is commonly made in the context of heatwaves, the former is defined solely by temperature magnitude while the latter includes a temporal dimension of unspecified duration ranging from days to months. 

Analysing the impact of extreme heat on primary agricultural production (crops, livestock, fisheries, and forests), the report says that it affects the food system through a complex web of interconnected pressures. 

It accelerates soil moisture evaporation, induces physiological stress in crops, and alters the thermal profile of the aquatic ecosystem. It also gives rise to forest fires, threatening biodiversity and disrupting the whole food chain.

In developing and underdeveloped countries, extreme heat acts as a “threat multiplier” that worsens and perpetuates already existing vulnerabilities and inequalities. For instance, India’s reliance on monoculture – a practice of growing a single crop, mostly rice and wheat, over large areas – coupled with a massive coastline and a large forest-dependent population, creates a multi-front vulnerability.

Impact on food systems

The food system – encompassing production, processing, storage, distribution, and consumption – is acutely sensitive to temperature changes. Heatwaves disrupt every node of this chain. It disrupts rainfall patterns by increasing evaporation and drying out soil and farmland. It leads to irregular and intense rainfall, causing floods and erosion instead of steady water absorption needed for crops.

This creates severe stress for rain-fed agriculture, which covers about 80 per cent of global agricultural land. High temperatures also affect the grain filling stage of rabi crops like wheat, leading to forced maturity and reduced yields.

Heatwaves negatively affect livestock, especially the dairy and poultry sector, by causing heat stress that reduces growth, the production of milk and egg while increasing mortality rates.

Fisheries face a unique and often invisible crisis. Rising water temperatures reduce dissolved oxygen, leading to hypoxia and the migration of fish stocks to deeper and cooler water, often beyond the reach of fishermen. Extreme heat stress also degrades forest health and increases the risk of wildfires, which destroy biodiversity and reduce the yield of fruits, honey, and medicinal plants. 

Perhaps the most overlooked dimension of heat’s impact on the food system is its effect on the people who work in agriculture. According to the International Labour Organisation (ILO) report in 2019, the agricultural sector is expected to be the worst affected by heat stress globally.

Nearly 940 million people around the world work in the agricultural sector. It is projected to account for 60 per cent of global working hours lost due to heat stress by the year 2030.

Implications for India

As a developing country with a large population, India is particularly vulnerable to heat-related stress on its food system. Its food security is heavily dependent on wheat and rice, both of which are heat sensitive. 

The Indo-Gangetic Plains, often called the food bowl of India, are susceptible to terminal heat stress. Even a 1-2°C rise above the seasonal average temperature can lead to shrivelled grain (dry, smaller than normal), leading to a significantly reduced wheat yield.

The 2022 heatwave is a stark example of this, which reduced wheat yields in some states. Rice, which contributes to 70 per cent of calorie intake in India, is also a very climate-sensitive crop and heavily dependent upon rainfall. Rising heatwaves are expected to seriously threaten rice farming and food security. 

Moreover, agriculture employs approximately 45 per cent of India’s workforce and supports the livelihoods of millions, especially in rural areas. The combination of heat-induced crop failure and financial burden is a key driver of farm distress. Agricultural workers are vulnerable to extreme heat because they work outdoors and are 20 times more likely to die from heat than the average civilian worker.

In addition, the overheating of the Indian Ocean is also posing risks to millions of people dependent on fisheries. It can cause coral bleaching, decline in fish populations, and disruptions in marine food chains. But is India’s agricultural policy framework adequate to address this risk?  

Agricultural policy framework

India’s agricultural policy framework has long prioritised production quantity over resilience. This has largely left the country inadequately prepared to manage escalating climate risks. The Minimum Support Price (MSP) system, introduced primarily to ensure income stability for farmers, has inadvertently entrenched the dominance of wheat and rice. Subsidies for electricity and fertilisers further incentivise the cultivation of water-intensive crops like paddy in semi-arid regions.

Traditional and climate-reliant crops like millets remain economically marginal for farmers despite their ecological advantages. While the government has begun advocating ‘Shree Anna’ (Millets), promoting crop diversification (such as pulses) and horticulture crops, state-level incentives often operate in a different direction. As highlighted by the Department of Expenditure in early 2026, many states continue to provide financial bonuses above the MSP for Paddy and wheat.

Traditional crops and seeds are generally more climate resilient as they evolved over centuries to withstand local heat and drought conditions. However, many of these seeds and crops have been replaced by high-yielding varieties that require abundant water and stable temperatures to thrive. Similarly, policy infrastructure for thermal shelters in aquaculture or the management of forest fuel loads to prevent heat-induced wildfires remains inadequate.

Another critical gap is labour protection. India’s labour laws are not yet climate-responsive. While provisions for workers’ safety are there, there are no specific and enforceable protections addressing the accelerating impact of climate change and heatwaves. The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) and the Ministry of Labour and Employment Issue Nationwide Heatwave Advisory to Protect Workers and Labourers in April 2026. These advisories are generally non-binding in nature.  

Towards making agrifood systems more resilient

Food security is one of the most crucial Sustainable Development Goals. As of 2024, however, over 8 per cent of the world’s population continued to face hunger, and 2.3 billion people experienced moderate to severe food insecurity. Amidst this, extreme heat has emerged as a critical challenge for the world. Securing the future of food in a warming world requires a multi-dimensional approach and a shift from ‘reactive survival’ to ‘proactive resilience’. 

One of the most effective adaptation strategies could be the structural realignment of state-level fiscal incentives. This may include gradually phasing out bonuses for water-intensive monocultures in favour of heat-tolerant pulses, millets, and oilseeds, as these crops are climate resilient and require significantly less water than other crops. 

Although India has become the global leader in millet production, overall output is far lower than that of wheat and rice. Increasing investment in research and development aimed at high-production, processing, and storage of climate-resilient crops and minimising post-harvest losses may help bridge this gap. 

Protecting the human component of the food system is equally important. Sector-specific heat action plans may be integrated into rural labour schemes to ensure measures such as shifted work hours, hydration protocols, and thermal insurance for outdoor workers.

Furthermore, the ‘Blue’ and ‘Green’ economies need to be integrated into food security strategies through the creation of thermal shelters for aquaculture and institutional protection of non-timber forest products. Achieving zero hunger will require greater efforts to transform agrifood systems so that they become more equitable and climate-resilient.

Post read questions

Extreme heat has emerged as a ‘threat multiplier’ for food systems in developing countries. Discuss with special reference to India’s agricultural economy and food security.

Heatwaves are no longer only a climatic phenomenon but a developmental challenge. Examine their impact on India’s food systems.

Discuss the implications of rising temperatures on different components of the food system, including crops, livestock, fisheries, forests, and agricultural labour.

Examine the role of crop diversification in enhancing climate resilience and ensuring sustainable food security in India. Evaluate the preparedness of India’s institutional and policy framework to address heat-induced food insecurity.

Discuss the significance of millets in addressing the challenges of climate change, nutritional security, and sustainable agriculture in India.

(Renuka is a Doctoral researcher at Himachal Pradesh National Law University, Shimla.) 

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