The Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), under the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Government of India, has launched a flagship network project named National Innovations in Climate Resilient Agriculture (NICRA).
This initiative aims to study the impact of climate change on agriculture, including crops, livestock, horticulture, and fisheries, and to develop and promote climate-resilient technologies to help vulnerable areas cope with extreme weather conditions such as droughts, floods, frost, and heat waves.
Over the past decade (2014-2024), ICAR has released a total of 2,593 varieties, with 2,177 of these found tolerant to one or more biotic and/or abiotic stresses. Additionally, ICAR has conducted a risk and vulnerability assessment of agriculture to climate change at the district level for 651 predominantly agricultural districts, following Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) protocols. Out of these, 109 districts are categorized as ‘very high’ and 201 districts as ‘highly’ vulnerable.
Did you know that you can join The Theorist on WhatsApp and stay updated? Click here
To address these vulnerabilities, District Agriculture Contingency Plans (DACPs) have been prepared for all 651 districts, providing recommendations for climate-resilient crops, varieties, and management practices to handle weather aberrations like drought, floods, unseasonal rains, and extreme weather events such as heat waves, cold waves, frost, hailstorms, and cyclones. These plans are intended for use by state departments of agriculture and farmers.
A key component of NICRA is the initiation of “Climate Resilient Villages” (CRVs), designed to enhance the resilience and adaptive capacity of farmers to climate variability. Climate-resilient technologies have been demonstrated in 448 CRVs across 151 climatically vulnerable districts, encouraging adoption by farmers. ICAR, through NICRA, also focuses on raising awareness about the impact of climate change on agriculture and conducts capacity-building programs to educate farmers on adopting climate-resilient technologies.
ALSO READ: Centre allocates Rs 1.52 lakh crore for agriculture in 2024 Union Budget
The Climate Resilient Agriculture (CRA) technology is being implemented across 448 CRVs in 151 districts of 28 states/UTs. Additionally, the Government of India has launched initiatives to address climate change through the National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture (NMSA), part of the National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC). NMSA aims to develop and implement strategies to make Indian agriculture more resilient to the changing climate, with a significant focus on farmer awareness and capacity building.
Initially, NMSA focused on three major components: Rainfed Area Development (RAD), On-Farm Water Management (OFWM), and Soil Health Management (SHM). Over time, new programs such as the Soil Health Card (SHC), Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana (PKVY), Mission Organic Value Chain Development in the North Eastern Region (MOVCDNER), Per Drop More Crop, and the National Bamboo Mission (NBM) have been included.
This comprehensive information was provided by Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, Shivraj Singh Chouhan, in a written reply in Rajya Sabha today.
