High spring temperatures have devastated crops of the country's most beloved fruit. “I have never seen this phenomenon in my life,” said one farmer. No fruit in India is as universally loved and awaited as the mango, which, for a brief period each year, cools and sweetens the long days of summer. Mangoes are added to kebabs, used in tart dishes, and mashed with mint to make refreshing drinks.
Original content
Connoisseurs vehemently argue over which of India's dozens of varieties (each with a different taste, color and texture) is the best, and politely disagree on the proper way to eat the fruit: by slicing it or sucking the juice directly. from the top. But, this year, this centuries-old ritual is in danger. Scorching heat that has hit northern India weeks earlier than usual has wiped out mango crops, threatening a way of life for the thousands of small farmers who grow the fruit and the millions of people who eat it. The heat wave is a stark example of the challenge India faces in ensuring its food security as the effects of climate change worsen, compounding its difficulties in raising agricultural productivity to international levels in order to feed a growing population of nearly 1.4 billion people. The dangers of a hotter future are painfully visible on a small farm in Malihabad, one of the main mango-growing districts in the north, where Mohammed Aslam tends some 500 trees. A ...
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