Context: India has communicated strong objections to discussions under the Koronivia Joint Work on Agriculture(KJWA) which has sought to expand efforts to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases to the agriculture sector.

Koronivia Joint Work on Agriculture(KJWA)

• Koronivia Joint Work on Agriculture(KJWA) is a landmark decision recognizing the unique potential of agriculture in tackling climate change. 

• The KJWA was established at the 23rd Conference of the Parties (COP) in Fiji in 2017 as a new process to advance discussions on agriculture in the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change(UNFCCC).

• The joint work will address six topics related to soils, nutrient use, water, livestock, methods for assessing adaptation, and the socio-economic and food security dimensions of climate change across the agricultural sectors.

Why has India opposed the discussions under the Koronivia Joint Work on Agriculture (KJWA)?

• A draft decision under the Koronivia Joint Work mentions mitigation – the efforts to reduce greenhouses gases emissions from the agriculture sector.

• India has opposed this draft and said that these are not “luxury” emissions but “survival” emissions of the poor. It blamed the developed countries’ historic emissions for the current climate crisis.

• In most developing countries across the world, agriculture is done by small and marginal farmers who till hard, toil hard and brave the vagaries of extreme weather and climate variability as well as the additional stress of climate change.

• By seeking to extend the scope of mitigation to agriculture, India has contended, developed countries want the world agriculture, lands and seascapes to become a site of mitigation for their profligate, excessive emissions.

• Note: Similar stand has been taken by India on emissions from methane in the farm sector also. It doesn’t want any reference to emissions from agriculture because India is highly dependent on agriculture. Nearly half of all Indians depend on farm-derived income.