The Indian farming ecosystem has seen a big change in recent years — the acceptance of climate change as an imminent concern, rather than an issue that needs to tackled in the medium term. Policymakers, bankers, researchers, weather experts and seed companies are of the view that cropping techniques, patterns and technologies must adapt rapidly.

At the recently concluded businessline Agri and Commodity summit, it was agreed that ‘natural farming’ can insulate India’s crops against increasingly frequent extreme weather events. If the Indian Council for Agricultural Research is working on drought and flood resistant varieties, Nabard is promoting new financial mechanisms such as the Agri Fund and the Carbon Fund, working in tandem with States and multilateral agencies. In terms of the delivery of climate-proofing solutions, primary agricultural credit societies have been identified as important nodal institutions. The Centre plans to expand their role beyond giving credit. However, the drive to set up two lakh multi-purpose cooperatives would require the cooperation of the States. There is growing recognition of the potential of earning carbon credits through climate-smart practices, although the processes need to be firmed up, so that genuine farmers rather than dubious ‘consultants’ and ‘experts’ with global links benefit. Funding for such practices must be accompanied by clearcut conditions, so that back-end inputs too are ‘green’.

However, there are gaps in the current thrust. India’s farm research systems are primarily geared towards increasing yields through resource-intensive hybrid varieties. It is not clear whether varieties that combine stress resistance and yield improvement are in the pipeline. More efforts should be made to select natural varieties for their resilient traits. A research focus on yields alone may prove limiting in the long run as the prospect of crop damage assumes more serious proportions. The Prime Minister’s Office has called for reforms in the ICAR system. While foodgrain output has increased despite vagaries of the weather, it is better to be prepared for eventualities.

It is also important to realise that the impact of harsh weather on crops is pronounced in the rainfed heartland, which constitutes 50 per cent of the cultivated area, as against irrigated regions. Climate proofing policies should focus on the unirrigated regions in particular. Multi-cropping as well as promotion of millets on typically small patches of land can protect output and incomes. Research has shown that monocropping in rainfed regions has reduced returns to farmers, while exposing them to uncertainty. There needs to be more conceptual clarity on the entire gamut of processes that encompass sustainable farming. The allocation towards the PM Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana, which has seen just over ₹2,000 crore being spent over about four years, can be increased alongside reforms in research and market linkages.