The government has acknowledged the recommendations of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) to enhance climate resilience in agriculture through the implementation of District Agricultural Contingent Plans (DACPs).Nearly 48% of India’s districts are classified as vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, necessitating urgent measures to mitigate risks and ensure sustainable agricultural practices.ICAR is spearheading the National Innovations in Climate Resilient Agriculture (NICRA) project, which assesses the effects of climate change on crops, livestock, horticulture, and fisheries. The initiative focuses on developing and promoting climate-resilient technologies to help regions prone to extreme weather events, such as droughts, floods, frost, and heat waves, adapt effectively to these challenges.During last 10 years (till October 2024), a total of 2593 varieties have been released by ICAR, out of these 2177 varieties have been found tolerant to one or more biotic and/or abiotic stresses.“Risk and vulnerability assessment of agriculture to climate change has been carried out at district-level for 651 predominantly agricultural districts as per Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) protocols,” said Ram Nath Thakur, the Union Minister of State for Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare in Lok Sabha on December 11.According to the ICAR’s analysis, out of 310 districts identified as vulnerable, 109 districts have been categorized as ‘very high’ and 201 districts as ‘highly’ vulnerable. “DACPs for these 651 districts have also been prepared to address weather aberrations and recommending location specific climate resilient crops and varieties and management practices,” said Thakur.
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