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Farmers' body calls for investment boost to tackle climate-farming barriers
Farmers' body FAIFA on Thursday called for bridging implementation gaps and increasing investment in climate-resilient agricultural technologies, citing high initial costs, fragmented infrastructure and low farmer awareness as key barriers to widespread adoption of sustainable farming practices.
The Federation of All India Farmer Associations (FAIFA) released a white paper titled "Nourishing the Future: A Report on Climate-Resilient Agriculture" during a national seminar in New Delhi, highlighting the urgent need for sustainable farming practices to counter climate change impacts.
The report identified erratic rainfall, unseasonal droughts, temperature spikes and rising pest incidence as key threats disrupting crop cycles across major agricultural states, including Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Karnataka.
Member of Parliament from Andhra Prades Putta Mahesh Kumar was present at the event. Small and marginal farmers, who comprise over 80 per cent of India's agricultural community, are disproportionately affected due to limited adaptive capacity, the report said.
"Soil degradation, rising input costs, and falling water tables are putting significant pressure on farm productivity and incomes," said Murali Babu, General Secretary of FAIFA.
"We must transition from a 'grow more' approach to a 'grow better' mindset," he added.
While acknowledging existing government schemes such as the crop insurance programme Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana and micro-irrigation initiatives, FAIFA identified implementation gaps, including high initial costs, fragmented infrastructure, and low farmer awareness.
The organisation recommended increased public investment in research and development for climate-resilient seed varieties, expanded farmer training programmes, and promotion of precision agriculture tools.
FAIFA also called for targeted subsidies for renewable energy, micro-irrigation and organic inputs, while advocating for mainstream adoption of conservation agriculture and integrated farming systems.
The report emphasised the need for collaboration between policymakers, research institutions and private stakeholders to scale climate-smart agriculture practices across India's diverse agricultural landscape.
India, one of the world's largest agricultural producers, faces mounting pressure to balance food security needs with climate change mitigation as extreme weather events become more frequent.
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Time of India
a day ago
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Vijayawada: Federation of All India Farmer Associations (FAIFA) expressed serious concern about growing climate adversaries resulting in serious losses to the farmers. The national-level farmers body appealed govts to adopt farmer-first, tech-driven solutions to tackle gaps. The FAIFA urged the govt there should be targeted subsidies for renewable energy, organic inputs, and micro-irrigation to make climate-smart practices more accessible to small and marginal farmers. It lauded the success of ICAR's flagship programme-National Innovations for Climate Resilient Agriculture (NICRA), which has reached nearly 6.93 lakh farmers through technology demonstrations and has trained 6.47 lakh stakeholders via 23,613 capacity-building programmes on climate resilient agriculture. FAIFA unveiled the report titled "Nourishing the Future: A Report on Climate-Resilient Agriculture" to mark the world environment day on Thursday. The report said that about 448 climate resilient villages have been established, and 650 district-level agricultural contingency plans have been developed as part of its interventions. The report's focus is in line with the latest developments initiated by the Centre to boost agriculture. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Giao dịch vàng CFDs với mức chênh lệch giá thấp nhất IC Markets Đăng ký Undo Some of the key efforts include the launch of the digital agriculture mission, the continuation of the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana and the National Mission on Natural Farming. Addressing a seminar organized by FAIFA, delegates including policymakers, agricultural scientists, and MPs expressed concern over projections by the Indian Network for Climate Change Assessment (INCCA), which estimate a potential 6% to 25% reduction in wheat yields and a 3% to 15% decline in rice yields by 2050. The FAIFA report also highlights a study by the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) that warns of 10% to 30% fall in rain-fed crop yields across semi-arid regions. The report underscores that climate change, no longer a distant threat but a present and accelerating crisis for Indian agriculture, is beefing up its siege through erratic rainfall, unseasonal droughts, temperature spikes, and rising incidence of pests and diseases disrupting crop cycles. These weather events have severely impacted productivity, inflated input costs, and choked farmer incomes — compounding their distress. Small and marginal farmers, who form over 80% of India's agrarian community, are the worst affected due to limited adaptive capacity. Murali Babu, general secretary, FAIFA, said that the tangible impacts of climate variability on farming are becoming increasingly evident in states like Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, and Uttar Pradesh. Soil degradation, rising input costs, and falling water tables are putting significant pressure on farm productivity and incomes, particularly for small and marginal farmers. However, initiatives like ICAR's NICRA programme are encouraging, which has introduced practical climate-resilient solutions, such as solar-powered irrigation, drought-tolerant seed varieties, and capacity-building at the grassroots. These are already making a difference in many regions. Ather Matheen, vice-president, FAIFA said that sustainable agriculture must be viewed as a core economic strategy for Indian farmers and not just be seen as an environmental or regulatory concern. He said that climate-resilient models offer long-term financial benefits by lowering input costs, opening new markets, and reducing weather-related disruptions.
Business Standard
2 days ago
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Farmers' body calls for investment boost to tackle climate-farming barriers
Farmers' body FAIFA on Thursday called for bridging implementation gaps and increasing investment in climate-resilient agricultural technologies, citing high initial costs, fragmented infrastructure and low farmer awareness as key barriers to widespread adoption of sustainable farming practices. The Federation of All India Farmer Associations (FAIFA) released a white paper titled "Nourishing the Future: A Report on Climate-Resilient Agriculture" during a national seminar in New Delhi, highlighting the urgent need for sustainable farming practices to counter climate change impacts. The report identified erratic rainfall, unseasonal droughts, temperature spikes and rising pest incidence as key threats disrupting crop cycles across major agricultural states, including Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Karnataka. Member of Parliament from Andhra Prades Putta Mahesh Kumar was present at the event. Small and marginal farmers, who comprise over 80 per cent of India's agricultural community, are disproportionately affected due to limited adaptive capacity, the report said. "Soil degradation, rising input costs, and falling water tables are putting significant pressure on farm productivity and incomes," said Murali Babu, General Secretary of FAIFA. "We must transition from a 'grow more' approach to a 'grow better' mindset," he added. While acknowledging existing government schemes such as the crop insurance programme Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana and micro-irrigation initiatives, FAIFA identified implementation gaps, including high initial costs, fragmented infrastructure, and low farmer awareness. The organisation recommended increased public investment in research and development for climate-resilient seed varieties, expanded farmer training programmes, and promotion of precision agriculture tools. FAIFA also called for targeted subsidies for renewable energy, micro-irrigation and organic inputs, while advocating for mainstream adoption of conservation agriculture and integrated farming systems. The report emphasised the need for collaboration between policymakers, research institutions and private stakeholders to scale climate-smart agriculture practices across India's diverse agricultural landscape. India, one of the world's largest agricultural producers, faces mounting pressure to balance food security needs with climate change mitigation as extreme weather events become more frequent.
New Indian Express
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Odisha government assures rabi crop loss compensation to farmers
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