Parliamentary committee charts roadmap for climate-resilient and organic agriculture

Indian agriculture is at a turning point. Climate change, soil erosion, and excessive dependence on chemical inputs have collectively produced an unstable environment, where the very basis of rural livelihoods and food security hangs in the balance.

- SIMONTINI BHATTACHARJEE

The Sixth Report of the Committee on Estimates (2024-25), a Parliamentary committee, was presented on Wednesday, providing both a timely diagnosis and a realistic path ahead. It envisions a transformational journey driven by climate-resilient agriculture, revitalising natural and organic farming, and enhancing 'Krishi Vigyan Kendras' (KVKs) as key rural institutions.

India's vulnerabilities are stark. "Climate change is projected to lower yields by about 4.5 to 9 per cent in the medium term, affecting around 310 highly vulnerable districts," the report notes. These are not abstract numbers—they mean more pain for farmers, increased food insecurity, and an escalating economic cost to an already weakened rural economy. Alarmingly, "with 109 districts 'very high risk' and 201 'highly vulnerable' under the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) protocol," the challenge requires prompt, systemic transformation.