Farmers devastated as crops are suddenly wiped out: 'Two-and-a-half months of hard work were destroyed in just two days'

Farmers across eastern India are scrambling as severe storms have caused irreversible damage to many crops.

What's happening?

In March, hail and heavy rainfall hit Ranchi, a city in the eastern Indian state of Jharkhand. The storms were so strong that they wiped out many crops, the Times of India reported.

"Two-and-a-half months of hard work were destroyed in just two days," local farmer Dashmi Devi told the Times.

Indian officials say the government is assessing the amount of damage and will compensate farmers whose crops were ruined. Farmer Giridhar Mahto, however, told the Times that he was leery of those efforts, as previous promises by the government had gone unfulfilled.

"This rain has been catastrophic for our business," Mahto told the Times.

Why is extreme weather concerning?

Weather conditions have made farming difficult in Jharkhand for several years. Drought conditions have been commonplace since 2022, which has caused some farmers to consider changing the types of crops they plant.

Whether it's warm, dry conditions, or heavy storms, farming has become more challenging and unpredictable, largely thanks to rising global temperatures. In fact, catastrophic events such as deadly heat waves, hurricanes, and floods, now happen so much more frequently that climate tech investor Molly Wood refers to warmer conditions as "basically steroids for weather."

For agriculture, this can have devastating consequences. Crops that have been commonplace for hundreds of years in certain ecosystems are now proving more difficult to grow. This is true not just in India, as it's easy to find examples of potatoes struggling to grow in Pennsylvania, corn struggling in Colombia, and numerous vegetables getting flooded in China.

And we all feel the ripple effect from those agricultural difficulties. When crop yields are lower than anticipated, and the supply is less than in the past, farmers and stores start charging more, and grocery bills skyrocket.

What can I do to help combat extreme weather?

Plenty of work is happening behind the scenes to try to combat the effect that extreme weather has on agriculture. Some successful research has already been done into crop variants that are better equipped to handle such volatility.

Do you think America does a good job of protecting its natural beauty? Definitely Only in some areas No way I'm not sure Click your choice to see results and speak your mind.

On a personal level, one of the most effective steps is also one of the simplest: Educate yourself about climate matters, and give yourself the information necessary to tell friends and family why these issues are so important.

And if you're ready to take the next step, consider growing some of your own food, which will not only save you some money and give you a better appreciation for what you eat but will also help reduce your carbon footprint.

Join our free newsletter for easy tips to save more and waste less, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.