Crop losses in India have grown because weather is more changeable, pests spread and pollution affects plants. In Kerala unseasonal rains left rice in flooded fields and machines could not harvest.
When farmers cannot dry or store grain, it rots and the quality falls. Contamination by fungal toxins also makes some food unsafe. New tools like AI, drones and satellites give earlier warnings, but farmers say these cannot replace simple storage and drying facilities.
Difficult words
- crop — plants grown for food or sale
- changeable — often different; not the same over time
- pest — small animals or insects that damage plantspests
- pollution — harmful chemicals or smoke in air or water
- contamination — presence of dangerous or unwanted substances in food
- rot — to become bad and decay, often from moisturerots
Tip: hover, focus or tap highlighted words in the article to see quick definitions while you read or listen.
Discussion questions
- Do you think storage and drying are important for farmers? Why or why not?
- Which of the tools mentioned (AI, drones, satellites) seems most useful to you? Why?
- Have you ever seen food rot because of rain or bad storage? What happened?
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