Topic: Climate-Resilient Agriculture (CRA) & BioE3 Policy

 

Syllabus Mapping

• GS Paper 3: Major crops-cropping patterns in various parts of the country; e-technology in the aid of farmers; Conservation, Environmental pollution and degradation.

• Topic: Agriculture (Climate Smart Agriculture), Science & Technology (Biotechnology in Agriculture).

 

Why in News? 

With rising climate unpredictability (heatwaves, erratic monsoons) threatening India’s food security, there is an urgent push to adopt Climate-Resilient Agriculture (CRA), a shift now strategically supported by the government’s new BioE3 Policy.

 

Key Highlights

• What is Climate-Resilient Agriculture (CRA)?

  • Definition: An approach that uses biotechnology (biofertilizers, biopesticides, genome-edited crops) and digital tools (AI analytics) to sustain farm productivity amidst changing weather.

  • Tools: Includes genome-edited crops (tolerant to drought/salinity) and soil-microbiome analyses to reduce chemical dependence.

• Why India Needs It (The Vulnerability):

  • Rainfed Dependency: Around 51% of India’s net sown area is rainfed. These lands produce 40% of the country’s food but are highly vulnerable to climate variability.

  • Resource Stress: Declining soil health and water scarcity demand a shift from conventional high-input farming.

• Current Institutional Framework (NICRA):

  • Launched in 2011 by ICAR, the National Innovations in Climate Resilient Agriculture (NICRA) project focuses on adapting to climate risks.

  • Successful Interventions: Introduction of System of Rice Intensification (SRI), aerobic rice, zero-till wheat, and in-situ residue incorporation.

• The BioE3 Policy Push:

  • The BioE3 (Biotechnology for Economy, Environment and Employment) policy explicitly positions CRA as a "key thematic area" for development.

  • It aligns biotechnology with climate adaptation to deliver solutions at scale.

 

Critical Analysis:

• Significance:

  • Productivity vs. Resilience: CRA resolves the conflict between increasing production (for a growing population) and environmental degradation.

  • Income Stability: By creating crops that survive extreme weather, CRA acts as a safety net for the 51% of farmers in rainfed areas, preventing crop-failure-induced poverty.

• Challenges:

  • Adoption Gap: Small and marginal farmers often lack access to these technologies due to the "Digital Divide" and limited awareness.

  • Quality Control: The market suffers from quality inconsistencies in biofertilizers and biopesticides, eroding farmer trust.

  • Regulatory Delays: The rollout of genome-edited seeds remains slow and uneven across states due to regulatory hurdles.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Value Addition (Committee Recommendation)

• Ashok Dalwai Committee: The Committee on Doubling Farmers' Income (Ashok Dalwai Committee) specifically recommended that to insulate farmers from income shocks, India must shift from "Food Security" to "Income Security." It emphasized that drought-proofing the 51% rainfed area through Micro-Irrigation and Climate-Resilient Cultivars is the only way to make farming viable in the long run.

 

Mains Question

Q. "Conventional farming methods are increasingly proving inadequate against the twin challenges of climate variability and soil degradation." Discuss. How does the BioE3 policy framework aim to bridge the gap between laboratory innovations and farm-level adoption of Climate-Resilient Agriculture? (250 words)

 

Preliminary Question

Q. With reference to Climate-Resilient Agriculture (CRA) in India, consider the following statements:

1. The National Innovations in Climate Resilient Agriculture (NICRA) was launched under the National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture (NMSA) in 2011.

2. Currently, rainfed agriculture accounts for more than 70% of India's net sown area.

3. The BioE3 policy identifies Climate-Resilient Agriculture as one of its key thematic sectors for biotechnology-led development.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct? 

(A) 1 only

 (B) 3 only 

(C) 1 and 3 only

(D) 2 and 3 only

Answer: (B) 

Explanation:

• Statement 1 is incorrect: NICRA was launched by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) in 2011, not directly under NMSA (though they share goals).

• Statement 2 is incorrect: According to the article, rainfed area is around 51% of the net sown area, not 70%.

• Statement 3 is correct: The BioE3 policy explicitly includes CRA as a key thematic area.