Heatwaves in Punjab are disrupting farm production, shrinking rural incomes and worsening food insecurity, particularly for women and vulnerable communities. That is the central finding of a report by United Nations agencies, titled "Extreme Heat and Agriculture", which was published jointly by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). The agencies focus on Punjab's rain-fed rural areas, where farming depends on rainfall rather than irrigation, and where heatwaves are becoming more frequent and more severe.
Crops, fruit and livestock take the hit
In the high-rainfall zones of Punjab, fruit productivity has fallen by as much as 50 per cent, the agencies found. The report said heat waves have caused significant declines in crop yields and described the effects on production as stark. Put simply, a fall of this size means roughly half the usual fruit harvest is lost in those zones.
Heatwaves in Punjab also strain livestock. Large ruminants, such as cattle and buffaloes, produce less milk under heat stress, while small ruminants such as sheep and goats face more outbreaks of foot-and-mouth disease, a contagious viral illness in animals with cloven hooves. Heat also speeds up the spoilage of vegetables, dairy products and other perishable goods, which reduces local food supply and drives up market prices, the report said.
A double burden for rural families
Rural families now face what the report describes as a double burden. They produce less varied and nutritious food for their own use, and at the same time lose the farm income they need to buy food from markets. "This double burden severely limits their access to healthy diets," the report said.
Shrinking incomes and food spoilage therefore hit the same households from two directions. Beyond Punjab, the FAO and WMO warned that extreme heat is acting as a powerful risk multiplier, meaning it amplifies existing environmental hazards, with direct and indirect effects across all agricultural subsectors worldwide.
Women carry a heavier load
Although entire communities are affected, women generally bear a disproportionate share of the burden, the UN agencies found. Women in Punjab play an essential role in harvesting and collecting water, and they carry out physically demanding household work that keeps them in high temperatures for long periods. Pregnant and lactating women face particular risk, because their greater nutritional needs are often the first to be compromised when food is scarce.
Research cited in the report indicates that each 1°C rise in temperature is associated with a 4 per cent increase in the likelihood of preterm birth. During heatwaves, that risk jumps to 26 per cent, according to the report. Women also often do not own land or other assets that would help them secure credit, and they have limited access to climate information and early warning systems. Some reduce their own food intake to put other family members first, a coping pattern that can further harm their health.
Aasan alfaaz mein
Punjab ke dehati ilaqon mein shadeed garmi ki lehron se fasal aur phal ki paidawar kam ho rahi hai. Phal ki paidawar kai ilaqon mein 50 fisad tak gir gayi hai, aur garmi mein bade janwar kam doodh dete hain. Sabzi aur doodh jaldi kharab hone se bazar mein qeematein barh sakti hain. Khawateen sab se zyada mushkil mein hain, is liye gharon mein khane aur sehat ka khayal rakhna zaroori hai.
