Indian Government Steps to Address the Impact of Climate Change on Agriculture

India has identified key agronomic priorities, including climate-resilient, carbon-neutral and regenerative agriculture, to address the challenges of climate change, resource degradation and sustainable food security.

India’s premier agricultural research body, the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), is implementing a project, National Innovations in Climate Resilient Agriculture (NICRA), that assesses the impact of climate change on agriculture and conducts district-level risk and vulnerability assessments.

Under NICRA, 310 districts were identified as climatically vulnerable, out of which 109 districts have been categorised as ‘very high’ and 201 districts as ‘highly’ vulnerable.

To address climate change challenges facing Indian agriculture and promote sustainable agricultural practices, several initiatives under the National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture have been launched. 

• The Per Drop More Crop scheme increases water-use efficiency at the farm level through micro-irrigation technologies, such as drip and sprinkler irrigation.
• Rainfed Area Development focuses on the Integrated Farming System to enhance productivity and minimise risks associated with climatic variability.
• The Soil Health & Fertility scheme promotes integrated nutrient management through judicious use of chemical fertilisers.
• Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture, Agroforestry & National Bamboo Mission also promotes climate resilience.
• Pradhan Mantri Fasa Bima Yojana, along with the weather index-based Restructured Weather-Based Crop Insurance Scheme, provides a comprehensive insurance cover against crop failure to farmers suffering crop loss/damage due to natural calamities.

Furthermore, to enhance farmers’ resilience and adaptive capacity, location-specific climate-resilient technologies (such as system of rice intensification, aerobic rice, direct seeding of rice, zero-tillage wheat sowing, etc.) were demonstrated through Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs) in 151 districts, covering 448 Climate Resilient Villages.

Capacity building for village-level seed banks and community nurseries is undertaken under NICRA to ensure seed availability. Drought and flood-tolerant climate-resilient varieties of rice, wheat, soybean, mustard, chickpea, sorghum, gram, and foxtail millet were demonstrated in several NICRA villages. 

Additionally, training programmes are conducted by the Agricultural Technology Management Agency (ATMA) on various aspects of agricultural practices.

ICAR has released 2900 varieties during the last 10 years (2014-2024), of which 2661 varieties are tolerant to one or more biotic or abiotic stresses.

The government is progressively aligning and converging existing agricultural schemes with broader agronomic priorities, including digital transformation, soil health, water-use efficiency, organic/natural farming, and other sustainable farming practices.

Such a merger will ensure a more integrated, outcome-oriented approach, improve convergence, reduce duplication of effort, optimise resource utilisation, and strengthen implementation efficiency.

The Indian Council of Agricultural Research has established 731 KVKs with a mandate for technology assessment, demonstration, and capacity development.

The KVKs organise capacity-building programmes for farmers on new agricultural technologies and technologies in allied sectors, including those related to climate-resilient and regenerative agriculture.

The impact of climate change on agriculture in India is complex and significant, and if not well managed, it can have serious consequences for the country’s economic prosperity.

The government is aligning agricultural policies with identified agronomic priorities, including climate-resilient agriculture, sustainable and regenerative farming practices, soil and water conservation, resource-use efficiency, diversification of cropping systems, and reduction of environmental footprints.