India’s agriculture is at high risk from heat stress according to a recent study by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), making it one of the five most vulnerable agricultural economies in the area. Rising temperatures, extended heatwaves, and frequent warm spells are already reducing crop yields, taxing livestock, and weakening rural labour capability, according to the Asia-Pacific Disaster Report 2025. There is an urgent need for climate-resilient agricultural solutions, as India, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Nepal, and Bangladesh are all in the “high-risk” category under both low-emissions and high-emissions scenarios.

How Does Rising Heat Directly Threaten India’s Agricultural Output?

With consistently high temperatures endangering crops, livestock, and labour productivity, India’s farming systems are already exhibiting symptoms of severe thermal stress.

Important points:

• As it hinders grain production and hastens crop maturity, extreme heat reduces crop yields.
• Livestock face increased mortality, reduced milk output, and reduced fertility.
• Agricultural workers have fewer productive hours when it’s hot outside.
• As earnings decline and crop failures increase, rural poverty worsens.

India’s agriculture is at high risk from heat stress according to the ESCAP assessment, since it accounts for a large portion of the country’s GDP and employs most rural residents. The catastrophic wheat crop failure in 2022, brought on by unheard-of heatwaves in March, serves as an example of how a few weeks of extreme heat can jeopardise the country’s food supply. High nighttime temperatures exacerbate stress, making crops less resilient and requiring more irrigation.

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Why Does the UN’s Agricultural Heat Stress Score (AHSS) Place India in the High-Risk Zone?

To assess a nation’s agricultural system’s susceptibility to rising temperatures, ESCAP’s Agricultural Heat Stress Score (AHSS) integrates several indices.

Important points:

• The Warm Spell Duration Index (WSDI), which maps successive days of intense heat, is incorporated into AHSS.
• It assesses the amount of cultivated land, agricultural employment, and agriculture’s contribution to the country’s GDP.
• AHSS divides nations into three heat-stress zones: moderate, high, and extreme-high.

ESCAP determined that India’s agriculture is at high risk from heat stress using these criteria for all time periods, including the historical baseline (1995–2014), the low-emissions scenario (SSP1–2.6), and the high-emissions scenario (SSP5–8.5). The research emphasises that India’s agricultural exposure remains severe even under low-emissions pathways due to its large rural workforce and structural reliance on climate-sensitive crops. Several neighbouring countries, including Myanmar, Fiji, Laos, and Uzbekistan, similarly exhibit worsening vulnerability under SSP5-8.5 as emissions increase and temperatures rise.

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What Do Heat-Induced Losses Mean for Workers on the Frontlines of Agriculture?

As climate-driven heat intensifies, farmworkers across the Asia-Pacific, especially in India, face growing occupational hazards.

Important points:

• During periods of high heat, labour output may drop by as much as 27%.
• Agricultural workers are more likely to suffer from heat-related ailments such as dehydration, heat exhaustion, and renal strain.
• Informal workers and migrants continue to be the most vulnerable and least protected.
• Accident risk may increase due to diminished physical performance and poor decision-making.

After reviewing almost 90 peer-reviewed studies, ESCAP found compelling evidence that agricultural workers experience increased heat stress due to long hours in open fields, limited access to water and shade, and insufficient workplace protections. This emphasises the critical necessity for worker-centred heat-safety procedures, such as required rest periods, hydration stations, and shaded work locations, and further demonstrates why India’s agriculture is at high risk from heat stress.

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What Must Governments and Communities Do to Strengthen Heat Resilience in Agriculture?

The UN research emphasises that unless proactive adaptation measures are implemented, climate-driven heat will push agricultural systems toward collapse.

Important points:

• Integrate high-resolution heat risk data into early warning systems and agricultural planning.
• Increase the use of nature-based cooling techniques and support the development of heat-resistant crop varieties.
• Create integrated systems for food, energy, and water to ensure climate-smart resource management.
• Invest more in irrigation, crop insurance, and climate-resilient infrastructure.

ESCAP warns that India’s agriculture is at high risk from heat stress at a time when the country’s population is growing, and the strain on the food system is increasing, and calls on nations to integrate heat resilience into agricultural policy and budgetary decisions. Millions of people could become even more impoverished if these cascading failures, including crop loss, livestock decline, worker disease, and deteriorating supply chains, are not addressed quickly.

Also Read: When Will Extreme Heat Become Unlivable?

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Q1. Why is India’s Agriculture at High Risk from Heat Stress mentioned so frequently in the report?

India’s agricultural economy is heavily reliant on climate-sensitive farming, has a high rate of rural labour participation, and has vast cultivated land, all of which are highly vulnerable to rising temperatures.

Q2. Which Indian crops are most at risk from rising temperatures?

The most sensitive crops are wheat, rice, oilseeds, pulses, and horticultural crops, especially during critical growth stages, which are impacted by warm spells.

Q3. What can be done right away to shield farmworkers from intense heat?

Heat-related disease can be significantly reduced by providing shaded rest areas, requiring hydration breaks, providing cooling equipment, increasing access to drinking water, and shifting work hours to cooler times.

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