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The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecasted that the 2026 southwest monsoon rainfall will likely be 90% of the Long Period Average (LPA) of 87 cm, primarily due to developing El Niño conditions. The rainfall over the monsoon core zone—covering rainfed agricultural areas in states including Jharkhand, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Karnataka, Telangana, and Odisha—is expected to be below normal (<94% of LPA). In anticipation of this challenge, the Union Ministry of Agriculture is leveraging the network of 10,000 Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs), comprising over 63 lakh farmers, to promote drought-resistant crops and climate-resilient farming practices. The ministry is hosting webinars on natural farming and planning a series on climate-resilient practices. Two FPOs from Jharkhand—Torpa Mahila Krishi Bagwani Swawlambi Sahkari Samiti Limited and Senem Nirem Farmer Producer Company Limited—are adopting low-cost mulching using straw and gunny bags and shifting from paddy to pulses (moon, urad, kulthi) and millets (ragi) for the upcoming kharif season. Etwary Devi, director of the Torpa-based FPO, confirmed plans to sow these less water-intensive crops on their members' farmland.
India's vulnerability to monsoon variability has historically shaped its agricultural planning. The Drought Prone Areas Programme (DPAP) was launched in 1973-74 to mitigate the effects of drought through soil conservation and water harvesting. The National Agriculture Policy, 2000 emphasized risk management and diversification towards drought-tolerant crops. The National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture (NMSA), one of the eight missions under the National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC, 2008), specifically promotes location-specific climate-resilient practices including water-efficient technologies and integrated farming. The Soil Health Management component of NMSA encourages mulching and organic matter addition. Separately, the Government of India declared 2023 as the International Year of Millets (IYM) following a UN General Assembly resolution moved by India, leading to enhanced focus on nutri-cereals as climate-smart crops. The promotion of Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs) gained significant policy impetus after the 2014 Economic Survey and the formation of the Small Farmers' Agri-Business Consortium (SFAC). In 2020, the government launched a central scheme to establish and promote 10,000 new FPOs by 2027-28, precisely to aggregate smallholders and improve market access. The current IMD forecast adds urgency to integrating FPO networks with climate adaptation extension services. Historical shifts have been gradual: from food security-focused HYV adoption during the Green Revolution to current emphasis on input use efficiency and climate resilience.
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1 JunPolitical & Constitutional Dimensions: The Union government's proactive use of FPO networks for climate adaptation aligns with its policy push under the Atmanirbhar Bharat package and FPO promotion scheme. It centers on cooperative federalism by implementing a centrally identified strategy (drought-resistant crops, mulching) through locally embedded FPOs, particularly in Jharkhand—a state with significant tribal populations and rainfed agriculture. Opposition parties may critique the reliance on voluntary adoption by farmers, arguing that state governments in the monsoon core zone require greater fiscal support for drought relief under the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) and more robust crop insurance implementation under the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY). The shift from paddy to millets could also spark debates on food security and MSP coverage, as paddy enjoys assured procurement under the Food Corporation of India, while millets still have limited procurement infrastructure.
Economic & Financial Impact: The economic impact operates at multiple levels. For farmers in the monsoon core zone, shifting to less water-intensive crops like ragi and pulses reduces production risk and potential crop loss, improving income stability. The low-cost mulching technique (straw and gunny bags) minimizes input expenditure. At the macro level, the IMD forecast of a weak monsoon implies lower agricultural GDP growth, potential food price inflation, and increased government expenditure on drought relief and MNREGA works. The promotion of FPOs to disseminate climate-resilient practices is a fiscally efficient extension model, leveraging existing institutions without massive new allocations. However, the article does not specify any new budgetary allocation.
Social Dimensions: The initiative prominently involves women-led FPOs, such as the Torpa Mahila Krishi Bagwani Swawlambi Sahkari Samiti Limited. This empowers women farmers, who often have less access to extension services and credit, by providing collective bargaining power and knowledge networks. The shift from paddy to millets and pulses has positive nutritional implications, as these crops are rich in micronutrients and proteins. For tribal communities in Jharkhand, millets (ragi) are traditional staples, and reviving their cultivation can enhance food sovereignty and cultural identity. However, the transition may face social resistance if market linkages for these alternative crops remain weak compared to the established paddy marketing channels.
Governance & Administrative Aspects: The approach uses the existing institutional architecture of FPOs as a delivery mechanism for climate adaptation—a decentralized extension model. The ministry's daily webinars in different states demonstrate use of digital governance for real-time capacity building. However, challenges include ensuring the quality and consistency of technical advice on mulching and drip irrigation across diverse agro-ecological zones. The administrative capacity of FPOs, especially newer ones, to manage collective marketing and input procurement for alternative crops varies greatly. The article highlights spontaneous adoption by two FPOs but does not assess the scalability of this model from Jharkhand to the broader monsoon core zone. Inter-departmental coordination between IMD, the Ministry of Agriculture, and state agriculture departments is critical for timely advisories.
International Perspective: India's focus on millets as climate-resilient crops mirrors global trends. The FAO promotes millets as 'smart food' for dryland agriculture. India successfully led the UN resolution declaring 2023 as the International Year of Millets, positioning itself as a global leader in promoting these grains. The practices of mulching and drip irrigation align with the principles of 'climate-smart agriculture' advocated by international bodies like the World Bank and CGIAR centers. India's approach can serve as a model for other developing nations in the Sahel or South Asia facing similar monsoon dependence and El Niño risks. However, the article does not provide any specific international comparison.
Short-term measures: The Ministry of Agriculture should immediately disseminate the IMD's 90% LPA forecast and state-level monsoon core zone projections to all 10,000 FPOs, along with technical advisories on mulching, drip irrigation, and alternative crop selection, through the ongoing webinars. State governments in the monsoon core zone should pre-position drought relief supplies and ensure timely disbursal of crop insurance claims under PMFBY for any early-season crop failure. The Department of Agriculture should verify and standardize the low-cost mulching guidelines used by Jharkhand's FPOs for rapid dissemination.
Medium-term reforms: The government should expand the Minimum Support Price (MSP) procurement network for millets and pulses by strengthening the decentralized procurement system through FPOs in the monsoon core zone, ensuring farmers have assured markets before shifting from paddy. The National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture should integrate FPOs as implementing units for its water-use efficiency and soil health components, with clear performance indicators. The Reserve Bank of India should consider incentivising banks to offer short-term credit to FPOs for collective purchase of drip irrigation equipment.
Long-term vision: A comprehensive 'Climate-Resilient Agriculture Mission' should be designed, merging NMSA with the FPO scheme, with a dedicated fund for research on region-specific drought-tolerant crop varieties. The mission should establish block-level 'Climate Information Centres' run by FPOs, providing hyper-local weather data and advice, as recommended by several agriculture policy committees. Finally, the government should advocate for a global framework on climate-smart agriculture subsidies at the WTO, linking farmer support to adoption of practices like mulching and drip irrigation, to align with India's international commitments under the Paris Agreement.