India Partners FAO For Climate-Resilient Agriculture Solutions

New Delhi, Jan 19 (KNN) The National Institution for Transforming India (NITI Aayog), the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare (MoA & FW), Government of India, and the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) have jointly launched the 'Investment Forum for Advancing Climate Resilient Agrifood Systems in India' in New Delhi.

The two-day event, which commenced on January 18 and will continue on January 19, aims to formulate an investment and partnership strategy involving the government, private sectors, farmers’ organisations, and financial institutions in India to promote climate-resilient agrifood systems.

The gathering saw the participation of nearly 200 attendees, including senior representatives from various entities such as the government, National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD), Indian Agricultural Research Institute (ICAR), International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), National Institute of Agriculture Extension Management (MANAGE), World Bank, Yes Bank, Axis Bank, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), Delegation of the European Union, International Finance Cooperation, and UN agencies.

In his keynote address, Prof Ramesh Chand, member of NITI Aayog underscored the need to raise awareness about agriculture's contribution to climate change, citing over 13 per cent of total greenhouse gas emissions in India.

He advocated for carbon sequestration in agriculture through tree plantation on farmlands and called for a shift in the economic analysis of agriculture production, considering natural resource impacts on climate change.

Manoj Ahuja, Secretary, MoA & FW, emphasised a multi-stakeholder approach to address climate challenges and stressed the significance of considering the perspective of small and marginal farmers, who constitute 85 per cent of India's farming population.

Shombi Sharp, UN Resident Coordinator, emphasised the connection between financial and food crises, calling for increased investments in climate resilience in agriculture.

The FAO Representative in India, Takayuki Hagiwara, applauded India's leadership in building climate-resilient agrifood systems and emphasised the critical need for partnerships and investments.

The discussions aim to leverage investments from global climate finance, domestic budgets, and the private sector to address the challenges posed by climate change in India's agriculture sector.

(KNN Bureau)