Why does India need climate- resilient agriculture?, Pg10

Key Highlights:

• Climate-resilient agriculture (CRA) is crucial for India to meet food demands amidst climate change, declining soil health, and air pollution.
• CRA uses biotechnology like biofertilizers, biopesticides, and genome-edited crops to enhance productivity and reduce dependence on chemical inputs.
• About 51% of India’s net sown area is rainfed, producing nearly 40% of the country’s food, making it vulnerable to climate variability.
• ICAR launched the 'National Innovations in Climate Resilient Agriculture' project in 2011, demonstrating climate-resilient technologies in 448 villages.
• Challenges in scaling CRA include low adoption among small farmers, quality inconsistencies in bio-inputs, and the digital divide.
• A national CRA roadmap under the BioE3 framework is needed to align biotechnology, climate adaptation, and policies.

Detailed Insights:

• Climate change impacts India's agriculture through unpredictable weather, declining soil health, and increasing air pollution, necessitating climate-resilient practices.
• Climate-resilient agriculture (CRA) enhances productivity while protecting environmental health through technologies like biofertilizers, biopesticides and AI-driven analytics.
• The National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture aims to enhance agricultural productivity in rainfed areas through integrated farming, water use efficiency, and soil health management.
• BioE3 policy positions CRA as a key area for biotechnology-led solutions, with several technologies already commercialized, including bio-inputs and digital agriculture.
• Scaling CRA faces risks such as low adoption among small farmers due to limited access and affordability, quality issues in biofertilizers, and slow rollout of climate-resilient seeds.
• Addressing these challenges requires accelerating the development of climate-tolerant crops, strengthening quality standards for bio-inputs, and providing digital tools to small landholders.
• Financial incentives, climate insurance, and credit access are essential to support farmers during the transition to climate-resilient agriculture.

Key Concepts Involved:

• Climate-Resilient Agriculture (CRA): Farming practices using biotechnology and other technologies to maintain productivity while reducing environmental impact.
• Biofertilizers: Substances containing living microorganisms that enhance nutrient availability and promote plant growth.
• Biopesticides: Naturally derived substances used for pest control, offering an alternative to synthetic chemical pesticides.
• Genome-edited crops: Crops with modified DNA to enhance traits like drought resistance, heat tolerance, or pest resistance.