Why in News ?
- Climate shocks, soil degradation, water stress, and rising input volatility are weakening India’s agricultural productivity and farmer incomes.
- A policy commentary highlights the need for Climate-Resilient Agriculture (CRA) — integrating biotechnology, bio-inputs, genome-edited seeds, precision & digital tools, and climate advisories — to safeguard food security while reducing ecological stress.
- Despite initiatives such as NICRA (ICAR, 2011) and the National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture (NMSA), adoption gaps, poor bio-input quality, digital divides, and fragmented policy coordination constrain progress.
Relevance
- GS-1 (Geography / Society) → climate variability, livelihoods, rainfed agriculture.
- GS-3 (Economy & Environment) → food security, agricultural productivity, biotechnology, sustainable agriculture, climate change adaptation, bio-inputs, resource efficiency.
Concepts & Foundations
- Climate-Resilient Agriculture (CRA): Core Idea
- Adapt farming systems to climate variability, extreme weather, and resource stress while maintaining productivity and environmental sustainability.
- Key Components
- Biotechnology tools — climate-tolerant & genome-edited crops (heat, drought, salinity, pest tolerance).
- Bio-inputs — biofertilizers, biopesticides, soil-microbiome approaches (reduced chemical dependence).
- Digital & AI tools — precision irrigation, crop-health monitoring, yield prediction, climate advisories.
- Climate-smart practices — zero tillage, residue management, SRI, aerobic/direct-seeded rice, diversified systems.
- Conceptual Distinction (Static)
- CRA ≠ only mitigation → mainly adaptation + risk-proofing agriculture.
- Linked syllabus themes: sustainability, food security, resource efficiency, technology & innovation.
Why India Needs Climate-Resilient Agriculture ?
- High exposure to climate risk
- ~51% of net sown area is rainfed; produces ~40% of food → highly vulnerable to rainfall variability and drought.
- Rising frequency of climate extremes
- Heatwaves, erratic monsoons, floods, pest outbreaks → yield instability and income shocks.
- Degrading natural resources
- Soil nutrient depletion, groundwater stress, stubble burning, chemical-input dependency.
- Food security & demographic pressure
- Large and growing population → need stable, climate-proof productivity.
- Environmental health & sustainability
- CRA reduces chemical load, emissions, and ecosystem damage while preserving productivity.
Where India Stands — Policies, Institutions, Initiatives
- NICRA (ICAR, 2011)
- 448 climate-resilient villages; demonstrated SRI, zero-till wheat, residue incorporation, climate-tolerant varieties, aerobic/direct-seeded rice.
- National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture (NMSA)
- Focus: rainfed areas, integrated farming, soil health, water-use efficiency, resource conservation.
- BioE3 Policy (recent)
- Positions CRA as a biotechnology-led adaptation pathway; promotes genome-edited crops and bio-inputs.
- Market & technology ecosystem
- Growing bio-input industry; expanding agritech & AI advisory platforms, precision irrigation, crop-monitoring tools.
Key Challenges in Scaling CRA
- Low adoption among small & marginal farmers
- Constraints: awareness, affordability, access to technologies & advisory services.
- Quality risks in bio-inputs
- Inconsistent standards for biofertilizers/biopesticides → distrust, poor outcomes.
- Slow rollout of climate-resilient / gene-edited seeds
- Uneven State-level distribution; regulatory caution slows diffusion.
- Digital divide
- Limited access to devices, connectivity, data literacy → weak penetration of AI/precision tools.
- Resource stress outpacing adaptation
- Soil degradation, water scarcity, rising climate volatility.
- Fragmented policy & institutional coordination
- Overlaps across agriculture, biotechnology, environment, and rural development → implementation friction.
Why CRA is Strategic for India ?
- Risk-buffering for farmers → stabilises yields & incomes under climate uncertainty.
- Productivity with sustainability → reduces chemical dependence while improving soil & ecosystem health.
- Tech-led structural transformation → strengthens innovation, agri-value chains, and agri-startup ecosystems.
- Supports national priorities → food security, SDGs, NDC adaptation goals, water & soil conservation.
Way Forward — Policy & Implementation Priorities
- Accelerate climate-tolerant & genome-edited crop deployment with strong regulatory clarity.
- Strengthen standards & certification for biofertilizers and biopesticides; build reliable supply chains.
- Last-mile digital inclusion → climate advisories, AI decision tools, precision farming access for smallholders.
- Financial enablers → climate insurance, concessional credit, transition incentives, outcome-based support.
- Integrated national CRA roadmap (BioE3-aligned) → unify biotechnology, climate adaptation, and agriculture policy for scale & coherence.
- Localised extension & capacity-building → community participation, farmer-producer organisations, region-specific packages.
Prelims-Ready Pointers
- ~51% rainfed area → ~40% food output → high climate vulnerability.
- CRA tools: bio-inputs, genome-edited seeds, soil-microbiome insights, AI-based advisories, precision irrigation.
- Flagship initiatives: NICRA (ICAR), NMSA, BioE3-aligned biotechnology push.
- Key barriers: quality of bio-inputs, digital divide, slow seed rollout, fragmented coordination.
