The government is taking steps to promote sustainable farming practices and bolster farmers’ resilience in the wake of increasing climate incidents.
As per the reply in Rajya Sabha by Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Bhagirath Choudhary, details a multi-pronged approach encompassing research, technology development, financial assistance, and insurance schemes for climate-resilient farming.
This initiative will be rolled out through the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR)’s flagship project, the National Innovations in Climate Resilient Agriculture (NICRA). The said initiative develops and promotes climate-resilient technologies in 151 climatically vulnerable districts across the country, areas frequently impacted by droughts, floods, frost, and heatwaves. This will include a wide range of technologies, climate-resilient crop varieties, intercropping systems, conservation agriculture, and microirrigation methods.
These technologies have been documented for 23 states and 3 union territories, and shared with state departments for wider implementation.
ICAR’s Network Program on Precision Agriculture (ICAR-NePPA) is also playing a crucial role, developing ICT-based technologies for precise input use. This includes sensor-based soil and crop health monitoring, precision management of water and fertilizer using robotics and IoTs, and advanced pest and disease monitoring systems.
Furthermore, ICAR’s All India Coordinated Research Programme on Integrated Farming Systems (AICRP-IFS) and All India Network Programme on Organic Farming (AINP-OF) are promoting sustainable farming practices like integrated farming systems and organic farming. These programs have developed 76 models of integrated farming, including 8 integrated organic farming system models for 26 States/UTs and organic farming packages for 80 cropping systems suitable to 16 States.
Beyond research and technology, the government is providing direct support to farmers through the National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture (NMSA). This mission focuses on three major components, i.e. Rainfed Area Development (RAD); On Farm Water Management (OFWM); and Soil Health Management (SHM), providing financial assistance to states to mitigate the adverse impacts of climate change.
Recognizing the financial risks farmers face, the government has implemented the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) and the Restructured Weather Based Crop Insurance Scheme (RWBCIS). These yield-based and weather-based crop insurance schemes offer crucial financial protection against extreme weather events.
The impact of these initiatives is significant. Through NICRA’s technology demonstration component, 6,93,629 farmers have benefited from demonstrations, and 23,613 have participated in capacity-building programs on climate-resilient agriculture.
