Balavanta NirNayaalu: Eco-regional Notes on Climate Change and Semi Arid Regions- A climate Education Booklet (Telugu), 2011.
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Small and marginal farmers, with land holdings below two hectares,constitute almost 80% of all Indian farmers and more than 90% of them are dependent on rain for their crops. Modernity has looked at this dependence as backward and has promoted and subsidised irrigation, green revolution, genetically modified crops etc. Despite the thousands of crores spent on fertilizer and other subsidies, farmers are increasingly in debt and despair. Now we learn that the method of cultivation promoted has increased carbon emissions which have led to climate change-one of whose impacts is the further reduction in availability of water, besides erratic rainfall.