Floating Farming: A Climate-Smart Solution for Flooded Fields

Abstract

Floods are among the most destructive natural hazards in India, affecting millions of hectares of agricultural land every year. Due to climate change, the intensity and frequency of floods have increased, as a result, practising conventional farming in those areas is not feasible, which creates an urgent need for suitable agricultural solution. Floating farming is a traditional, soil less farming practised for thousands of years in South-east Asia and Meso-America can be a low cost, climate resilient alternative method of crop production. This system involves cultivating crops on floating beds made from water hyacinth, bamboo and organic composts, thus giving an option to farmers to grow wide variety of vegetables and seedlings during the flood condition. Also this system uses locally available materials which minimizes the input cost while simultaneously managing the invasive water hyacinth. Floating farming presents a practical strategy to solve farming issues in flood-prone and wetland areas of India to sustain livelihoods, enhance food security and promote climate-resilient agriculture. Adoption of this system can transform vulnerable flood-affected and wetland areas, into agriculturally productive area.