The National Innovations in Climate Resilient Agriculture (NICRA) project of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) has assumed critical importance in the context of research on impacts of climate change and improving resilience among farmers. In this project, a district-level vulnerability assessment has been made for 651 agricultural districts by following the protocols laid down by the IPCC, and 310 districts have been found vulnerable to climate change: 109 very high and 201 highly vulnerable. To that end, location-specific, climate-resilient technologies are demonstrated in 448 Climate Resilient Villages through KVKs. The project also builds farmer capacity through the establishment of village-level seed banks and community nurseries for ensuring the availability of resilient seeds.
Various schemes are in operation by the government to lessen or nullify the impact of adverse weather. The Gramin Krishi Mausam Sewa (GKMS) is an Indian Meteorological Department (IMD)-led scheme that generates district- and block-level, medium-range weather forecasts for five days in advance. These forecasts are utilized by 130 Agromet Field Units for the preparation and dissemination of Agromet Advisories in regional languages. This crucial weather information, including alerts, is easy to access for farmers through mobile apps like ‘Meghdoot’ and ‘Mausam.’ The PMFBY covers comprehensive crop insurance against widespread and localized natural risks from pre-sowing to post-harvest. It is a very effective scheme and has disbursed claims amounting to 21.12 billion USD to approximately 230,100,000 farmers since its launch in 2016.
The PKVY is the flagship scheme of the Government of India for promoting organic farming in States/UTs. This covers end-to-end support from production, processing, certification, and marketing. Its main strategy is the formation of organic clusters, preferably involving small and marginal farmers, to create an efficient supply chain. The scheme provides financial assistance of 349.41 USD per hectare for three years to farmers for organic promotion. Out of this, 166.38 USD per hectare is directly provided to the farmers for organic inputs. As of October 31, 2025, the scheme has covered a total area of 1,690,000 hectares, benefiting 2,824,000 farmers.
