World Environment Day: India needs to mitigate the climate change threat to agriculture

Indian Express

2 days ago

Written by Renuka Chowdhury
On World Environment Day, it is crucial to emphasise the relationship between agriculture in India, food security, and the increasing risks posed by climate change. Agriculture in India is becoming more susceptible to climate change, with variable and extreme weather patterns impacting crop yields and affecting the livelihoods of many farmers. The climate-induced stress has compounded existing agrarian distress, particularly for small and marginal farmers, and those with limited resources to adapt in tribal and aspirational districts, like Khammam in Telangana.
While the government has initiated reforms and structured policies to build climate resilience in the agriculture sector, these mostly remain scattered and are implemented without a mission-mode approach. With climate change among the biggest threats to the agriculture sector, we need a comprehensive, well-funded national initiative that integrates adaptation and mitigation into agricultural planning.
The Climate Transparency Report 2021 warns that with a temperature increase of 1–4°C, rice production could decline by 10–30 per cent and maize production by 25–70 per cent. This would directly affect food security. The government's own projection highlights that in the absence of adaptation measures, paddy and wheat yields may drop by 20 per cent, and maize by 18 per cent by 2050. As many as 310 districts have been identified as vulnerable to climate change. Khammam, a predominantly tribal district, is one such hotspot.
While the projections may be for 2050, the telling tales of impending disaster are already before us. Each year, Khammam faces unseasonal heavy hailstorms in March and April, leading to heavy crop losses. Chilli production in the state has declined by over 100,000 tonnes in just one year, with major chilli-growing districts like Khammam witnessing major yield drops.
Khammam is not alone. This trend extends across India. In Jammu and Kashmir, saffron production has plummeted by 67.5 per cent between 2010–11 and 2023–24. The Assam and Darjeeling tea industries are grappling with reduced productivity and shifts in quality. Data suggest that 80 per cent of Indian farmers have suffered crop losses due to adverse climatic events between 2019 and 2024.
There is enough evidence to say that we need a new strategy to mitigate the impact of climate change on agriculture. I suggest three ways to go about this.
First, we need wider adoption of the 2,900 climate-adaptive crop varieties developed by the National Agricultural Research System. The Union government must proactively facilitate the accessibility, availability and affordability of these climate-resilient seeds across all 310 climate-vulnerable districts, tailored to local agro-climatic conditions and cropping patterns. This should include direct support mechanisms such as seed subsidies, targeted extension services, and timely distribution through Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs) and agricultural cooperatives. Local governance institutions like panchayats must be mobilised to lead mass awareness campaigns on climate-smart agricultural practices. Strategic collaborations between agricultural universities, NGOs, and local extension agents can amplify outreach.
Second, the much-touted Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) must evolve to explicitly integrate climate change considerations into its risk coverage framework. While the scheme currently covers weather-related crop loss, it does not adequately account for productivity losses stemming from long-term and extreme climate variability. As an MP, I had raised this question in Parliament, calling for a forward-looking insurance model that reflects the complex risks farmers face today. The idea has gained global prominence now. Recently, even the European Commission, while highlighting the huge agricultural loss of €28.3 billion annually due to climate change, has advocated for climate-related risk insurance coverage for farmers.
India must take the lead in pioneering climate-responsive agricultural insurance models by incorporating climate risk modelling, developing region-specific climate indices, and piloting parametric insurance instruments that disburse compensation based on clearly defined weather thresholds.
Data suggest that only 20 per cent of farmers receive timely financial support under the PMFBY, and there are structural deficiencies like delayed claim settlements, difficulties in assessing crop damage, high cost of premium, and verifying yield data. I have personally witnessed such failures in Khammam, where hundreds of small and marginal farmers narrated stories of repeated delays, unresponsive insurance agents, and rejected claims despite evident crop loss.
Third, the need of the hour is to embrace innovative and adaptive approaches to climate action in agriculture. One such approach that merits serious policy deliberation is the introduction of Index-Based Cash Transfers (IBCTs), particularly in climate-vulnerable districts. A successful example is the Agriculture and Climate Risk Enterprise (ACRE) in Africa, which implemented a mobile-enabled, input-linked index insurance programme. In this model, smallholder farmers receive climate-triggered payouts via mobile money, demonstrating the effectiveness of using localised weather data and public–private partnerships to build farmer resilience.
Each crop and region presents unique challenges, requiring data-backed, locally contextualised solutions. Evidence-based decision-making must reflect the realities of each agro-climatic zone. The paths we chart today will not only safeguard the interests of our producers and consumers, but will also go miles in delivering climate justice to our farmers.
The writer is a Rajya Sabha MP from the Indian National Congress and former Union Cabinet Minister