By TIOL News Service

NEW DELHI, JULY 18, 2024: THE National Rainfed Area Authority (NRAA), Department of Agriculture and Farmer Welfare (DA&FW), Government of India, organized a National Workshop on 'Climate Resilient Rainfed Agriculture (CRRA)' today in New Delhi. Additional Secretary, DA&FW and CEO (NRAA) Faiz Ahmad Kidwai inaugurated the event in the presence of Dr. S K Choudhary, DDG (NRM), ICAR,  Franklin L. Khobung, Joint Secretary (Rainfed Farming System), DA&FW and B Rath, Technical Expert (Water Management), NRAA.

Faiz Ahmad Kidwai called for policy reforms that prioritize the growth of landless, small & marginal farmers in Rainfed areas. As Rainfed areas are more vulnerable to extreme climatic events, he advocated some of the innovative and technology driven agricultural practices to create climate resilience in Rainfed Agriculture. He also highlighted the potential of RAD scheme which is being implemented as a component under cafeteria approach of ‘Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana' (RKVY) for transition towards CRRA. Further, he called for effective convergence of RAD scheme with various developmental programs to ensure optimal resource utilization. The workshop provided a crucial platform to the State & Central Government representatives, agricultural experts, researchers and policymakers to discuss innovative strategies and technologies for enhancing crop production in rainfed areas by adopting climate resilience approach.

Dr. S K Choudhary outlined the impact of climate change on agriculture & allied sectors. He highlighted the importance of inclusive growth of Rainfed areas that are distributed across different agro-ecosystem through an integrated approach.  He also shared the experience of ICAR-NICRA scheme which is being implemented in the country to address all the dimensions of climate change on the pillars of Research, Education and Extension. He further emphasized for block level Risk Assessment Atlas and hands on training to field functionaries on CRRA.

The Technical Sessions of the workshop focused upon the intricacies of Integrated Farming System (IFS) and livestock & natural resources management in rainfed areas. Discussions revolved around various facets of climate resilient rainfed agriculture, including landscape based Integrated Farming System, watershed development, Digital Forecasting Techniques, revival of pastoral routes and generating economic evidence for scaling sustainable agriculture in the country.

The workshop also witnessed in-depth discussions on the updated operational guidelines for the RAD scheme and key implementation challenges. It concluded with forward-looking approaches for enhancing climate resilience and sustainability in rainfed areas. Participants expressed optimism about the potential of proposed strategies to revolutionize the agricultural sector and improve livelihood security for farmers nationwide.