Innovative Greenhouses Help Farmers Adapt To Climate Change In India

In the face of extreme weather in India, a greenhouse is transforming lives by preparing growers for unpredictable weather. Extended periods of drought, heat waves, and unpredictable rainfall have intensified and caused huge crop losses. This, in turn, has led to mounting debt, which has taken its toll. In a tragic and widely reported case several years ago, more than 3,000 farmers committed suicide in the state of Telangana during a three-year drought.

This article, written by environmental journalist Janice Cantieri for National Geographic, revisits this same state. Yadav Bhavanth, a farmer, began using a greenhouse in 2017 to conserve water and protect crops from downpours. These greenhouses don’t trap heat. Instead, a layer of breathable, aluminum-coated cloth netting reflects some of the sunlight to reduce the temperatures inside. They are also fitted with drip-irrigation systems, and use 90 percent less water on average than that used in regular agricultural work.

Yadav purchased the greenhouse for $2,500 from Kheyti, an Indian non-profit that is developing the structures and facilitating loans to buy them. The program is aimed at helping small farms adapt to climate change, enabling farmers to conserve resources during years of good rainfall and harvests. Training and daily check-ins with farmers are part of the program, as well as help with transportation to market, fertilizers, and connections to vendors. This additional support has also helped to encourage women to join the scheme.