When people speak about climate change, the conversation often revolves around global temperature rise, melting glaciers, or rising sea levels. Those are indeed important, no doubt; But working in the hills of Uttarakhand shifts you from that wide-eyed perspective towards realities more grounded. Here, climate change is not an abstract concept discussed in reports and articles – it is something that quietly alters daily life, cropping patterns, and even the expectations of seasons. I won’t be diving into the causes of climate change as I think it has been spoken, written and documented well enough over the years. Here I will primarily be addressing the implications within the sphere of my projects’ target villages.
Over the past few months, while working in villages like Sarkot and Parwari, I began noticing small changes, which may seem individually insignificant, but collectively, they pointed towards a larger shift such as:
The Missing Snow
One of the first observations repeatedly mentioned by community members was the reduction in snowfall. I arrived in Uttrakhand towards the end of May in 2025 – naturally, it was summer at the time. My colleagues at INHERE said that it was indeed a very hot summer that year – one of the hottest yet. Of course, people say that line every year for every season across every place. However, me coming from a land of utter tropical heat (Kerala) found the heat to be similar to that of early spring. During my course of stay in Uttrakhand, a warning I was repeatedly fed with was to watch out for the upcoming winter months. Traditionally, winters in these regions would bring consistent snowfall. Temperatures would drop well to negative degrees of 5 and 6. Even in Chaukhutia, where I stay, the temperature was around -4 degree celsius – and this part of Uttarakhand is ‘warm’ compared to other parts like Badrinath or Tehri. Anyway the point being, these numbers are supposed to ensure an assured outcome – there shall be snow. Snowfall in winters is not just a seasonal feature — it plays a functional role in the local ecosystem. Snow would accumulate and then gradually melt, contributing to soil moisture and groundwater recharge.
This year, however, snowfall was noticeably lower. During my conversations with villagers and natives, many mentioned that winters used to leave the surrounding hills covered in snow for durations that would span months. Now, either it snows less or melts much faster or in the case of this year, which was my first winter in Uttarakhand – it was both; snowed less and melted soon. Winters in Uttarakhand are not supposed to be this easy is what my colleagues told me and I completely agree with that statement. It snowed around early January and ended by early February. The snow season is supposedly to begin around November-end / early December and melt off by late February.
While I do not have long-term meteorological data from my project villages, the consistency of these statements and observations across multiple people makes it difficult to ignore and hence it must be concluded that climate change has indeed established its role in these parts with implications beyond just the visual landscape.
Impact on Agriculture and Millets
Agriculture in these hills is already challenging enough due to terrain constraints. The crops involved in my project are millets – primarily madua (finger millet) and jhangora (barnyard millet). They are generally considered climate resilient crops as they are predominantly rain-fed crops that require less water compared to other cereals and are well-suited for hilly regions. However, ‘resilient’ does not mean ‘immune’. Thus climate variability adds another layer of uncertainty to an already challenging profession. The major fact is that reduced snowfall affects soil moisture levels, especially in the early part of the cropping cycle. The melting of the snow traditionally acts as a slow-release water source. Without that happening, the soil tends to dry out faster, affecting germination and early growth stages.
In addition to this, farmers have also pointed out irregular rainfall patterns. Rains are either delayed, insufficient, or come in short intense bursts rather than being spread out as should be during monsoon. This unpredictability affects sowing decisions. For instance – early rains may encourage sowing, but if followed by dry spells, crops suffer. Similarly sudden heavy rainfall can lead to soil erosion on slopes, washing away nutrients. Even though millets are relatively hardy, yield stability becomes uncertain under such conditions.
Shifts in Seasonal Cycles
Another subtle but important observation is the blurring of seasonal boundaries or transitions. Earlier, there was a clearer distinction between the seasons relating to rain and snow — winter, pre-monsoon, monsoon, and post-monsoon. Now, those transitions feel less predictable and even completely unpredictable.
Farmers often rely on seasonal cues rather than formal calendars – sowing, harvesting, and other agricultural activities are linked to these cues. When seasons become erratic and unstable, decision-making becomes riskier. A delayed winter or a shorter cold period can also affect pest cycles and soil conditions, indirectly impacting crop health.
Water Availability
Reduced snowfall and irregular rainfall also influence water availability.
Unlike in plains where irrigation systems can partially fend off climatic variation, hill agriculture is more directly dependent on natural conditions. Small deviations in weather patterns can have significant effects. In many hill villages, water sources depend on natural springs. These springs are sustained through a combination of rainfall and snowmelt. When snowfall reduces, the recharge cycle weakens.
Villagers mentioned that some water sources are drying earlier than usual or showing reduced flow. This affects not just agriculture but also daily household activities. Fetching water, which is already a physically demanding task in hilly terrain, becomes even more time-consuming when sources are farther away or less reliable.
Farmers are forced to constantly adapt to adjust sowing times, shift crop choices, manage risk with the already limited resources available to them. This uncertainty also influences willingness to invest effort. When outcomes become unpredictable, even traditional practices will feel less reliable.This effect can be added to the long list of reasons that discourage the upcoming newer generation to pursue agriculture as an income generating profession.
Linking Back to My Project
In my work on millet processing and increasing self-consumption, climate change adds an underlying layer to the problem.
Low millet consumption is not just a behavioural or economic issue. It is also influenced by other factors such as labour required for processing, yield uncertainty, changing environmental conditions, etc. If production becomes inconsistent, consumption patterns also shift. This reinforces the need to approach interventions more holistically. While processing machines reduce labour and improve efficiency, broader environmental factors still influence the overall system specially as I’m trying to increase self consumption of millets.
Conclusion
Thus working in Uttarakhand has made climate change feel more immediate and grounded. It is not always about extreme events or sudden disruptions but a gradual shift. Sometimes, it is about the absence of what used to be normal – slightly less snow each year, slightly more irregular rainfall, slight changes in cropping patterns in villages such as Sarkot and Parwari.. Individually, these changes may not trigger alarm. But over time, for farming communities in mountainous regions, these changes carry real consequences as soil moisture, crop cycles, water availability, and labour patterns are all interconnected. Understanding these shifts is important not just for designing agricultural interventions, but for recognising that climate is no longer just a background condition. It is an active variable that must be accounted for in any form of development work.
In the hills, change does not always arrive dramatically. Sometimes, it simply doesn’t snow.
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