Raising awareness among farmers, NICRA project, impact of climate change on agriculture

Indian Council of Agricultural Research ICAR is raising awareness among farmers about the impact of climate change on agriculture through National Innovation in Climate Resilient Agriculture (NICRA). In parallel, capacity-building programs are being conducted to promote the adoption of climate-resilient technologies.

Tackling Climate Change: A Growing Challenge in Agriculture:

Climate change poses a challenge to the agricultural sector. In response, the Government of India launched the National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC) in 2008, providing a comprehensive policy framework aimed at combating climate impacts and ensuring ecological sustainability.

NICRA Role in Combating Climate Change:

NICRA, ICAR is conducting studies on the impacts of climate change on various agricultural sectors including crops, livestock, horticulture and fisheries. The project focuses on developing and promoting climate-resilient technologies, particularly in regions prone to extreme weather events such as droughts, floods, frost, and heatwaves.

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Over the past decade (2014–2024), ICAR has developed 2,593 crop varieties, 2,177 of which have shown tolerance to various biotic and abiotic stresses. Climate risk and vulnerability assessments have been conducted for 651 agriculturally dominant districts across India, following IPCC protocols. Of these, 310 districts were identified as sensitive, 109 were classified as highly and 201 were classified as highly sensitive.

Climate-Resilient Villages: A Step towards Adaptation: To enhance the adaptive capacity of farmers, the concept of climate-resilient villages has been introduced. Under NICRA, location-specific climate-resilient technologies have been demonstrated in 448 villages in 151 climate-sensitive districts in 28 states and union territories. These are aimed at encouraging farmers to adopt climate-smart innovations.

Key Government Initiatives to Address Climate Change in Agriculture:

1. Per Drop More Crop: Launched in 2015–16, this scheme aims to improve water-use efficiency at the farm level by promoting micro-irrigation technologies such as drip and sprinkler systems.
2. Rainfed Area Development (RAD): Implemented in 2014–15, this initiative focuses on Integrated Farming Systems (IFS) to boost productivity and mitigate risks associated with climate variability.
3. Other Initiatives: Programs such as the National Bamboo Mission, Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture (MIDH), and Agroforestry aim to enhance climate resilience in agriculture.
4. Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana: The scheme provides financial assistance to farmers for crop loss or damage due to unexpected natural calamities and adverse weather conditions. It also works with a revised weather-based crop insurance scheme to mitigate climate-related risks and stabilize farmers' income.

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