Agri experts call for climate-smart farming

Patna: Eminent agricultural scientists of the country on Tuesday discussed how rising temperatures, erratic rainfall and extreme weather conditions are disrupting agricultural production and how climate-smart strategies can be charted out to safeguard food security. They were deliberating at a day-long seminar on ‘Climate change and food systems’ jointly organised by Dr Rajendra Prasad Central Agricultural University (RPCAU) and the Bihar Agricultural Science Academy at Pusa, Samastipur.Speaking as the chief guest on the occasion, Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) deputy director general S N Jha emphasised the urgent need to adopt climate-resilient agricultural practices. “As climate change poses a direct threat to global food security, we must accelerate the development of climate-smart technologies to mitigate the adverse impacts of climate change and ensure stable harvests,” Jha said.RPCAU vice-chancellor P S Pandey, in his presidential address, highlighted the twin challenges of dwindling productivity and increasing demand. “Our agricultural systems are already feeling the strain of climate variability, hence, it is imperative to innovate in crop breeding, water management and post-harvest techniques to adapt and sustain production,” he said.International Food Policy Research Institute senior research fellow Anjani Kumar Singh called for a holistic approach, emphasising adoption of climate-resilient crop varieties, efficient water use and promotion of sustainable farming practices. Policy frameworks must align with ground realities to make food systems more robust, he added.The seminar brought together experts, researchers, policymakers and industry stakeholders on a common platform who, after a series of brainstorming sessions, formulated a set of actionable recommendations expected to guide state and national policies aimed at enhancing crop yield and feeding the teeming millions. The recommendations of the seminar are likely to be used for charting out a road map for climate-resilient agricultural practices in eastern India, hoped the experts.