National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture at the Core
Several flagship schemes under the National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture (NMSA) are being implemented to enhance resilience and productivity at the grassroots level. A key initiative, the Per Drop More Crop scheme, promotes micro-irrigation technologies such as drip and sprinkler systems to improve water-use efficiency on farms.
The Rainfed Area Development programme encourages integrated farming systems to reduce risks arising from climatic variability while improving farmers’ income stability.
Improving Soil Health and Crop Diversity
Soil sustainability remains central to the government’s approach. The Soil Health and Fertility scheme promotes balanced nutrient management through the judicious use of chemical fertilizers combined with organic inputs.
Parallel initiatives such as the Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture, Agroforestry programmes, and the National Bamboo Mission are strengthening crop diversification while enhancing climate resilience.
Insurance Safety Net for Farmers
To protect farmers against climate-induced crop losses, comprehensive insurance coverage is being provided under the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana and the Restructured Weather Based Crop Insurance Scheme.
These schemes offer financial protection against losses caused by droughts, floods, and other natural calamities, reinforcing confidence among cultivators.
ICAR’s Climate-Resilient Innovations
The Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) is spearheading scientific efforts through its National Innovations in Climate Resilient Agriculture (NICRA) project. Under this initiative, climate vulnerability assessments have identified 310 districts as climatically vulnerable, including 109 classified as very highly vulnerable.
Location-specific technologies such as system of rice intensification, aerobic rice cultivation, zero-till wheat sowing, and direct seeding of rice have been demonstrated through Krishi Vigyan Kendras in 151 districts.
Capacity Building and Seed Security
NICRA also focuses on strengthening village-level seed banks and community nurseries to ensure timely availability of climate-resilient seeds. Demonstrations of drought- and flood-tolerant varieties of rice, wheat, soybean, mustard, chickpea, sorghum, gram, and millets have been conducted in several villages.
Additionally, regular training programmes are organised under the Agricultural Technology Management Agency to equip farmers with modern, sustainable agricultural practices.
Thousands of Stress-Tolerant Crop Varieties Released
Over the last decade, ICAR has released 2,900 crop varieties, of which 2,661 are tolerant to one or more biotic and abiotic stresses. These varieties are designed to withstand extreme weather events, pests, and diseases while maintaining productivity.
Integrated Policy Approach for the Future
The government is increasingly aligning and converging agricultural schemes with broader agronomic priorities, including digital agriculture, soil and water conservation, organic and natural farming, and resource-use efficiency.
This integrated approach aims to reduce duplication, optimize resource utilization, and improve implementation efficiency, ensuring long-term sustainability of India’s food systems.
