Lok Sabha Question No. 963 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2022-12-13
Subject: Sustainable Agriculture
Ministry: AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE
Asked by: Pritam Gopinath Munde, Rahul Ramesh Shewale

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.963

TO BE ANSWERED ON 13 TH  DECEMBER, 2022

## SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE

963. DR. PRITAM GOPINATHRAO MUNDE : SHRI RAHUL RAMESH SHEWALE :

Will the Minister of AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE कृ षि और ककसान कल्याण मंत्री be pleased to state:

- (a) whether  there  is  a  concern  at  the  international  level  on  having  a  sustainable agriculture, good agriculture practices along with environment concern;
- (b) if so, the details thereof and the response of the Government thereon;
- (c) whether  the  Government  is  contemplating  to  formulate  a  policy  on  'Good Agriculture Practice' to benefit the agriculture sector;
- (d) if so, the details thereof;
- (e) the time by which the final decision is likely to be taken in this regard; and
- (f) whether  the  Government  is  working  on  scope  of  public-private  partnership  in agriculture and if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE कृ षि और ककसान कल्याण मंत्री (SHRI NARENDRA SINGH TOMAR)

- (a)  to  (f)  To  promote  sustainable  agricultural  and  good  agricultural  practices  with environment  concern,  Government  is  implementing  National  Mission  for  Sustainable Agriculture (NMSA) which is one of the National Missions under National Action Plan on Climate  Change  (NAPCC).  NMSA  aims  to  evolve  and  implement  strategies  to  make Indian agriculture more resilient to the changing climate. NMSA was approved for three major components i.e. Rainfed Area Development (RAD), On Farm Water Management (OFWM)  and  Soil  Health  Management  (SHM).  Subsequently,  four  new  programmes were  introduced  namely  Soil  Health  Card  (SHC),  Paramparagat  Krishi  Vikas  Yojana (PKVY), Mission Organic Value Chain Development in North Eastern Region

(MOVCDNER)  and  Sub  Mission  on  Agroforestry  (SMAF).  During  2015-16,  Pradhan Mantri  Krishi  Sinchayee  Yojana  (PMKSY)  was  operationalised  wherein  the  OFWM component of NMSA was subsumed under Per Drop More Crop (PDMC) component of PMKSY. PDMC focuses on enhancing water use efficiency at farm level through Micro Irrigation  viz.  Drip  and  Sprinkler  Irrigation  Systems.  In  addition  to  aforementioned programmes under NMSA, restructured National Bamboo Mission (NBM) was launched in April 2018. Rainfed Area Development under NMSA focuses on Integrated Farming System (IFS) for enhancing productivity and minimizing risks associated with climatic variability.  Under  this  system,  crops/cropping  system  is  integrated  with  activities  like horticulture, livestock, fishery, agro-forestry, apiculture etc.

To meet the challenges of sustaining domestic food production in the face of changing climate, the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Government of India has launched a flagship network project called National  Innovations  in  Climate  Resilient  Agriculture  (NICRA).  The  project  aims  to develop and promote climate resilient technologies in agriculture to address vulnerable areas  of  the  country  and  to  help  the  districts  and  regions  prone  to  extreme  weather conditions  like  droughts,  floods,  frost,  heat  waves,  etc.  to  cope  with  such  extremes. Short  term  and  long-term  research  programs  with  a  national  perspective  have  been taken  up  involving  adaptation  and  mitigation  covering  crops,  horticulture,  livestock, fisheries and poultry. The main thrust areas covered are (i) identifying most vulnerable districts/regions,  (ii)  evolving  crop  varieties  and  management  practices  for  adaptation and mitigation, (iii) assessing climate change impacts on livestock, fisheries and poultry and identifying adaptation strategies.

National  Innovations  in  Climate  Resilient  Agriculture  (NICRA)  project  has  developed several resilient technologies to mitigate climate change. Climate resilient technologies viz., resilient varieties in different crops tolerant to climatic stresses, resilient intercropping systems, conservation agriculture, crop diversification from paddy to other alternate crops like pulses, oilseeds, agroforestry systems, zero till drill sowing of wheat to  escape  terminal  heat  stress,  alternate  methods  of  rice  cultivation  (system  of  rice intensification,  aerobic  rice,  direct  seeded  rice),  green  manuring,  integrated  farming systems, integrated nutrient  management,  integrated pest  management,  organic farming,  site  specific  nutrient  management,  in-situ  moisture  conservation,  protective irrigation  from  harvested  rainwater  in  farm  pond,  micro  irrigation  method  (drip  and sprinkler) etc. have been developed and evaluated in farmers' fields for their adoption.

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