Why Uttarakhand farming is shifting due to climate change?

In Uttarakhand’s hilly regions, farmers are rapidly shifting away from traditional cereal crops. A new report by Climate Trends, “Water and Heat Stress in the Hills,” shows a 27.2% drop in cultivated land over the past decade, along with a 15.2% fall in overall crop yields. The biggest casualties are food grains like wheat, paddy, and millets. Potato farming has collapsed, with a 70.82% decline in production over just five years.

The hills are drying up. Rainfall is erratic, snowfall is nearly absent, and high temperatures are taking a toll on moisture retention in the soil. “Earlier, there used to be 2-3 spells of snowfall between October and December. Now it’s dry. Without winter rain, our rabi crops are suffering,” says Dr. Anil Kumar, a scientist at Krishi Vigyan Kendra in Udham Singh Nagar.

Crops in decline

Wheat cultivation fell by 4.63%. Paddy and millets followed the same trend. Finger millet and barnyard millet saw their cultivated area fall by 3.65% and 4.03%, while their yields dropped 3.09% and 2.2%. In sharp contrast, pulses and spices are gaining ground, offering a lifeline to hill farmers.

Potato production, once a staple across the hills, fell from 367,309 metric tonnes in 2020–21 to just 107,150 metric tonnes in 2023–24. That’s a 70% crash in less than five years. The cultivated area dropped from 26,867 hectares to 17,083 hectares during the same period. Almora and Rudraprayag recorded the sharpest decline. “The land is dry. Water retention is poor. Wild boars also destroy the fields at night. We can’t keep growing potatoes,” says Jogendra Bisht, President of Lok Chetna Manch.

Sata shows why

The average temperature in Uttarakhand has been rising by 0.02°C annually since 1970. Hill districts like Uttarkashi and Chamoli are warming even faster. Rainfall is dropping, down 11.2 mm per decade. In 2023 alone, the state experienced 94 days of extreme weather events, damaging 44,882 hectares of farmland.

This disruption is forcing farmers to reconsider what they plant. Pulses—once sidelined—are bouncing back. Crops like pigeon pea (pahari toor daal), horse gram (gahat), chickpea (chana), black gram (urad), black soybean (bhatt), and kidney beans (rajma) are now seen as more resilient. Their cultivation requires less water. They handle dry spells better. And they’re nutrient-rich.

The numbers tell the story. Chickpea cultivation rose from 120 hectares in 2012 to 656 hectares in 2021—an increase of more than 400%. Its yield rose by 2.78%. Pigeon pea’s area increased by 1.21%, and horse gram by 0.35%. Yields rose 4.5% and 3.12%, respectively.

“Pulses are a lifeline now. They thrive with less water and give us better returns, especially with government support for varieties like pigeon pea,” says Ramesh Chandra, a farmer from Almora. The government’s 2025 “Mission for Aatmanirbharta in Pulses” aims to enhance procurement of locally grown pulses. This gives hill farmers a reason to keep going.

Spices are booming

Between 2016 and 2022, spice cultivation in Uttarakhand grew by 50%. Turmeric saw the most growth—area under cultivation jumped by 112%, while yield went up by 122%. In 2022, turmeric yielded 28,161 metric tonnes from just 3,145 hectares. Chilli cultivation increased by 35%, with a 21% rise in yield.

“Turmeric and chilli are saving us. They fetch good prices and wild animals leave them alone, unlike our cereal crops,” says Jogendra Bisht. These crops thrive in warm, humid conditions. They also adapt well to different soils and temperature shifts.

Oilseeds, though still grown on smaller plots, are seeing a revival. Varieties like mustard-rapeseed (lahi-sarson-toriya) and soybean are now more common in farmer fields. While the overall yield remains modest, their presence is growing steadily, especially in recent years.

Farmers are adapting in other ways too. Some are returning to multicropping systems. The traditional “Baranaja” method—growing 12 different crops on one plot—has mostly disappeared due to land fragmentation. But its modern versions are making a comeback. Intercropping pulses with millets helps farmers get better returns and withstand erratic weather.

“We now grow pulses with millets. It works better than wheat or paddy. They don’t need much water and survive heat spells,” says Suman Devi, a farmer from Pauri Garhwal. Climate-resilient practices like mulching and rainwater harvesting are also being adopted. Krishi Vigyan Kendras are distributing drought-tolerant seeds and training farmers to manage dry spells.

Even crops like maize and amaranth are doing better in this changed climate. Maize yield increased by 5.9%, while amaranth saw a 5.6% rise. These crops tolerate semi-arid conditions and are suited to the warming hills. GI-tagged grains like ramdana (amaranth) and black soybean are seeing renewed interest.

The challenges are not just environmental. Economic pressure is mounting. The share of agriculture in Uttarakhand’s gross state domestic product fell from 11.5% in 2011–12 to 8.8% in 2021–22. Farmers are quitting farming altogether in some regions. Many migrate in search of work, leaving fields fallow.

Still, there are signs of change. Government schemes are starting to support the transition. Farmers, too, are adapting with new crops, new methods, and renewed resilience. The shift from cereals to pulses and spices is not just a trend. It’s a survival strategy.

“The old ways won’t work anymore. We need to grow what the land and climate allow. Pulses, spices, and maize may be the future,” says Dr. Anil Kumar. The hill farmers of Uttarakhand are learning to live with less water, less certainty, and more heat. The hope is that this shift will keep farming alive in the mountains.

But the story isn’t just one of loss. Farmers are finding ways to stay on their land by changing what they grow. Government schemes are supporting this shift. New crop patterns are emerging. Traditional crops are being replaced by ones that can survive the new climate reality.

The big question is whether this shift will be enough. Can pulses, spices, and hardy grains keep hill farming alive? Will farmers be able to adapt quickly enough to outpace the damage already done? The answers will shape the future of agriculture in Uttarakhand’s mountains.

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