The Centre has identified 310 out of 651 agricultural districts as vulnerable to climate change and is scaling up climate-resilient farming practices across the country, the government informed Parliament on Tuesday.
The initiative is being implemented under the National Innovations in Climate Resilient Agriculture (NICRA) project by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), which assesses climate risks and promotes adaptive farming technologies to safeguard agricultural productivity.
Minister of State for Agriculture Ramnath Thakur shared the information in a written reply in the Lok Sabha, highlighting the government’s efforts to strengthen climate resilience in agriculture while ensuring sustainable farmer livelihoods.
According to the assessment conducted using Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change protocols, 109 districts have been classified as “very highly” vulnerable, while 201 districts fall under the “highly” vulnerable category. To address these risks, District Agriculture Contingency Plans (DACPs) have been prepared for all 651 districts, recommending location-specific crops, varieties, and management practices.
The government is also demonstrating climate-resilient technologies through Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs) in 448 model Climate Resilient Villages spread across 151 vulnerable districts. These initiatives aim to enhance farmers’ adaptive capacity through practices such as seed banks, community nurseries, and the use of drought- and flood-tolerant crop varieties including rice, wheat, soybean, and mustard.
In addition, capacity-building programmes are being conducted under the Agricultural Technology Management Agency (ATMA), while over 18.56 lakh farmers have been trained through 731 KVKs established nationwide.
ICAR has also released 2,900 crop varieties over the past decade, of which 2,661 are tolerant to various biotic and abiotic stresses, further strengthening resilience against climate variability.
The government is increasingly leveraging advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence and IoT to support farmers. Platforms like “Kisan e-Mitra,” a voice-based AI chatbot, are assisting farmers in multiple regional languages and have already handled over 95 lakh queries. Another platform, “Bharat VISTAAR,” provides real-time advisory, weather updates, market prices, and access to government schemes through a single interface.
Further, the National Pest Surveillance System uses AI and machine learning to detect pest infestations early, covering 61 crops and more than 400 pests. Digital platforms such as “Kisan Sarathi” are also providing advisory services on crop selection, pest management, and yield optimisation, with over 2.75 crore farmers registered.
