Passage

Climate change poses potentially devastating effects on India's agriculture. While the overall parameters of climate change are increasingly accepted a 1°C average temperature increase over the next 30 years, sea level rise of less than 10 cm in the same period, and regional monsoon variations and corresponding droughts - the impacts in India are likely to be quite site and crop specific. Some crops may respond favourably to the changing conditions, others may not. This emphasizes the need to promote agricultural research and create maximum flexibility in the system to permit adaptations. The key ingredient for "drought proofing" is the managed recharge of aquifers. To ensure continued yields of important staple crops (e.g. wheat), it may also be necessary to shift the locations where these crops are grown, in response to temperature changes as well as to water availability. The latter will be a key factor in making long term investment decisions. For example, water runoff from the Himalayas is predicted to increase over the next 30 years as glaciers melt, but then decline substantially thereafter. It will be critical to provide incentives to plan for these large-scale shifts in agro-ecological conditions. India needs to make long term investment in research and development in agriculture. India is likely to experience changed weather patterns in future.
QUESTION

CSAT

Medium

Comprehension

Prelims 2014

Consider the following statements:

Climate change may force the shifting of locations of the existing crops due to

  1. melting of glaciers.
  2. water availability and temperature suitability at other locations.
  3. poor productivity of crops.
  4. wider adaptability of crop plants.

Which of the statements given above are correct?

Select an option to attempt

Explanation

Statement 1 is incorrect. The passage mentions that the melting of glaciers will increase water runoff in the short term but does not directly link this to the shifting of crops. The shift is primarily due to temperature changes and water availability, not just glacier melting.

Statement 2 is correct. The passage clearly states that crop locations may need to be shifted due to changes in temperature and water availability.

Statement 3 is incorrect. The passage does not mention that the shifting of crop locations is due to poor productivity. Instead, it is driven by temperature changes and water availability.

Statement 4 is incorrect. While the passage emphasizes the need for flexibility, it doesn't directly mention the wider adaptability of crops as a reason for shifting locations.

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