Food Radio Project

For the mountain-dwelling communities of Uttarakhand, India, severe climate change impacts are not some distant threat. They’re already here. Hill agriculture, which was always marginal, is less sustainable than ever, and the state finds itself grappling with high rates of out-migration.

In the final episode of this three-part series, we discover that the region is at a crossroads of sorts. Will the farming crisis in the hills be solved with technology and modern advances? Or will it be the indigenous seeds of old that safeguard vulnerable communities against a new and unfamiliar climate?

This report was produced with the support of the Earth Journalism Network.

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More than 500 million people in South Asia depend directly on the Himalayas for their survival. But this fragile mountain eco-system is particularly sensitive to climate change. In regions like Uttarakhand, India, the effects of global warming have manifested rapidly and are only predicted to intensify, with far-reaching impacts on food and water security.

In this episode, we explore some of the different ways that communities and state-supported researchers are attempting to adapt in the face of climate change.

This report was produced with the support of the Earth Journalism Network.

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In January 2016, India’s least populated state, Sikkim, was officially declared fully organic. All 75,000 hectares of farmland in Sikkim are now free of chemical fertilisers and pesticides. In Part 1, we take a look at how Sikkim achieved this milestone.

In Part 2, we delve deeper to understand the challenges that lie ahead, as the farmers in this remote region of the Northeast endeavour to establish a market for their organic produce.

India is home to the largest undernourished population in the world, with 194.6 million people going hungry every day. Yet, by most estimates, nearly 40% of all food that’s grown in India never reaches the consumer. In Part 1, we discuss the global impact of food waste, and explore where along the supply chain food is being wasted in India.

In Part 2, we talk about the measures needed to address this crisis. What should we do, what can we do, and what are we doing about food waste in India?

How is it that oysters, a delicacy savoured across the globe, have been so overlooked by nearly a billion people on the subcontinent? In Part 1, we find out what people in India really think of raw oysters as a food source.

In Part 2, we take a deep dive into the emerging industry of oyster farming in India and ask: can the promise of a newfound supply overcome our longstanding cultural aversion to oysters?