Gandhinagar: Even as farmers across Gujarat continue to suffer major losses due to unseasonal and extreme weather over the past few years, the state govt on Tuesday urged cultivators to adopt “climate-smart” agricultural practices to tackle changing conditions.An official statement said that an analysis of weather data of the past five years highlighted recurring challenges such as unseasonal rains, heavy downpours, and droughts. Acknowledging the growing impact of climate change, the govt said it was time for farmers to adapt their cropping methods accordingly.Quoting Bharat Mehta from the Agricultural Science Centre, the statement said excessive use of fertilisers and over-irrigation had caused serious damage to the soil. The agricultural expert warned that indiscriminate use of chemical fertilisers had reduced soil fertility, and if continued, would eventually render the land barren. He said there was a need for a phase-wise shift to natural farming to help restore soil health.Mehta also noted that Gujarat’s soil was becoming more compact, preventing water from seeping through easily, which leads to prolonged waterlogging and subsequent crop damage.The statement said that to mitigate such issues, farmers should embrace climate-smart techniques, including planting biotic and abiotic crop varieties capable of surviving harsh conditions. It also recommended adopting integrated farming practices, such as mixed and intercropping, instead of cultivating the same crop year after year.