Lok Sabha Question No. 2123 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2023-03-14
Subject: Climatic Risk Factors
Ministry: AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE
Asked by: S. Jagathrakshakan

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE & FARMERS' WELFARE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE & FARMERS' WELFARE

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.  2123

TO BE ANSWERED ON THE  14 th    MARCH, 2023

## CLIMATIC RISK FACTORS

2123.   SHRI S. JAGATHRAKSHAKAN:

Will the Minister of AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS' WELFARE क ृ षि एवं षकसान कल्याण मंत्री be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government is cognizant that most farms are rain-fed and exposed to climate risks and small and marginal farmers operate with big disadvantages in terms of scale, diversification of crops, potential price risks and bargaining power and an average farmer earns a little more than Rs. 10,000 per month (current prices) and nearly half of all farmers are estimated to be in debt; and
- (b)  if  so,  the  remedial  steps  that  have  been  taken  and  proposed  to  be  taken  by  the Government keeping in view the fact that nearly 70 percent of farming households in the country are small and marginal?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE

क ृ षि एवं षकसान कल्याण मंत्री (SHRI NARENDRA SINGH TOMAR)

- (a) & (b):  Yes Sir. With a view to address the issue of rainfed  area, Government of India launched National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture (NMSA) focussing on Soil Health Management, Rainfed Area Development and  On Farm Water Management. Further, Rainfed  Area  Development  (RAD)  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  enable  farmers  not  only  in  maximizing  farm returns for sustaining livelihood, but also to mitigate the impacts of drought, flood or other extreme weather events.  Government provides 50% subsidy under RAD to farmers for 2

ha area.    Livestock  rearing,  fisheries,  horticulture  etc.    are  an  important  contributor  to household income of farmers, especially of small and marginal farmers.

In  addition,  Government  has  launched  Pradhan  Manti  Krishi  Sinchai  Yojana (PMKSY) during 2015-16, with a view to enhance physical access of water on farm and expand cultivable area under assured irrigation, improve on farm water use efficiency, sustainable  water  conservation  practices.  The  Per  Drop  More  Crop  component  of PMKSY now subsumed under Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY) promoting micro irrigation (Drip and Sprinkler) and provides 55% subsidy to small and marginal farmers and 45% to other farmers for enhancing water use efficiency and enhancing productivity by regular irrigation. Government of India is implementing several other schemes to help farmers  including  small  and  marginal  farmers,      for  enhancing  their  income.  Besides, Government of India provides Rs. 6000/- annually to all farmers under Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi  directly to their account.

In order to address climatic vagaries faced by rainfed farmers, Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Government of  India  launched  National  Innovations  on  Climate  Resilient  Agriculture   (NICRA).      To deal with climate change,   climate resilient varieties for extreme weather conditions are developed  and  have  been  demonstrated  through  KVKs  in  151  climatically  risk-prone districts.  Varieties  and  resilient  intercropping  systems  performed  better  than  traditional farmers' practices resulting in improved yields up to 18% in the adopted villages.   Crop diversification  from  water-intensive  paddy  to  alternative  crops  like  pulses,  oilseeds, maize,  cotton  and  agroforestry  plantation  helped  farmers  in  sustaining  production. Climate resilient technologies have been developed and evaluated in farmers' fields for their  adoption.  Further,  in  order  to  ensure  food  and  nutritional  security  of  the  resource poor marginal farmers, 64   integrated farming system models have been developed and are  integrated  in  State  Action  Plans  of  Tamil  Nadu,  Kerala,  Odisha  and  Jammu  & Kashmir.

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