India, with its varied agro-climate and significant reliance on agriculture for economic and social means, is faced with a fast-accelerating threat: climate change.
Prolonged droughts, erratic rains, more severe cyclones, and devastating floods are disrupting customary cycles of agriculture and endangering the food security of millions.
Under such a scenario, there is a compelling need to create climate-resilient crops as a cornerstone of sustainable agriculture capable of meeting an uncertain future.
Effect of Climate Change on Indian Agriculture
India’s agricultural industry has almost 50% of the country’s population employed and adds around 18% to the national GDP. Yet, owing to its extreme reliance on the monsoon, it is most susceptible.
Recent years have seen delayed monsoon rains severely impacting planting seasons, particularly in Maharashtra, Telangana, and Karnataka states.
Rising temperatures also disrupt pest and disease cycles, reducing yields of key staples such as wheat, rice, and cotton.
Prime cropland is having its yields compromised, forcing millions of farmers to change their farming practices – and in many cases, exit farming altogether.
Resilient Crops: Adapting to Survive
Resilient crops are improved, or selectively bred, varieties that can withstand extreme weather conditions such as drought, excessive heat, flooding, or soil salinity.
In India, the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) has developed and supported cultivars that are water and heat stress-resistant so that rural communities can maintain their production in poor conditions.
Indian resilient crop examples:
- Sahbhagi Dhan rice: Can withstand droughts, ideal for regions with a volatile rainfall.
- Swarna Sub-1 rice: Can withstand waterlogging, ideal for flood-vulnerable areas.
- Pearl millet (bajra): Can withstand high temperatures and adverse soil; grown in Rajasthan.
- Heat-tolerant wheat: Grown in Punjab and Haryana to be able to withstand rising spring temperature.
Technology and Data: Primary Collaborators in Resilience
In addition to developing improved crops, the integration of smart technology into Indian agriculture has been crucial in anticipating and meeting the effects of climate change.
Geographic information systems (GIS), remote sensing, and climate prediction models facilitate more precise planting planning, thus reducing losses and maximizing resources.
Some examples of useful digital platforms and tools for farmers include:
- e-Choupal: Farm information access via rural kiosk.
- Kisan Suvidha: An Android-based mobile application offering weather forecasting, market price, and technical advice.
- Climate prediction models: Help plan planting with future climate projections.
As such virtual resources grow in popularity, even in rural areas, the need for open knowledge, reliability, and transparency also grows.
Some researchers and agronomists even install a VPN to access region-locked databases or climate model portals that are otherwise unavailable due to geo-restrictions, especially when collaborating across borders on crop resilience data.
Public Policy and Climate Finance
The Indian government has recognized the climate risk and launched initiatives to build more robust agriculture.
The National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture (NMSA) plan under the National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC) promotes adaptive technology, water management, and sustainable practices.
Insurance programs such as the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana have also been implemented to insure farmers against losses in case of unfavorable weather.
Nevertheless, the success of such initiatives has continued to be affected by problems of poor penetration in the rural, remote areas, lack of technical expertise among farmers, and red-tapism.
International climate finance, for example, from the Green Climate Fund, could potentially make it affordable to scale up these projects, incorporating resilient technologies and community-based strategies even further.
The Role of Communities and Traditional Knowledge
In substantial parts of India, traditional knowledge remains a valued resource. Strategies such as mixed cropping, use of native varieties, harvesting rainwater, and composting have been helping people to adapt to climate variability for years.
Integrating this ancient wisdom with science can offer a comprehensive and viable adaptation strategy.
Non-governmental organizations are also coming in and helping by educating farmers in ecologically friendly practices, encouraging community seed banks, and building knowledge networks that empower rural people.
Conclusion: Planting Today To Resist Tomorrow
Indian agriculture is at a crossroads; adaptation to new climate realities is as much a matter of productivity as survival.
Promotion of resilient crops, adoption of smart technologies, access to funds and effective policies, and securing digital platforms with tools are top steps towards a strong and inclusive agricultural system.
In this experiment, coordination between government, scientists, farmers, and civil society will be key. Only through sowing resilience today can India reap security and sustainability tomorrow.
