Climate-smart villages to come up in Tamil Nadu to protect state's agriculture against climate change

It is no secret how sweeping of a shadow climate change has cast over Indian agriculture in recent times. Rising temperatures and erratic rainfall patterns keep disrupting traditional growing seasons, often leading to droughts in some regions and floods in others. These disastrous events can devastate crops, reduce yields, and leave farmers struggling to adapt.

The impacts of such climate change-fuelled changes not only affect individual farmers' livelihoods, but also contribute heavily to massive food price fluctuations that affect millions across the country. In a budget presentation, Tamil Nadu’s Agricultural Minister, MRK Panneerselvam recently explained that climate change is very likely to present considerable challenges to biodiversity, crop yields and food security in the coming two decades.

Recognising this looming threat to agriculture, the South Indian state’s government announced several initiatives in its recent farm budget to support farmers and ensure food security. Termed “climate smart villages”, Panneerselvam unveiled plans to develop several of these special communities across Tamil Nadu.

These villages will help demonstrate climate change mitigation technologies to farmers and other stakeholders. The move aims to raise awareness and equip farmers with practical solutions to adapt to changing weather patterns and safeguard their crops. A budget allocation of Rs 1.48 crore has been earmarked for this purpose.

Additionally, recognising the importance of healthy soil for sustained agricultural productivity, the government announced research on soil microbiome engineering. This initiative will focus on evaluating and developing microbial communities to enhance the decomposition of organic matter, leading to increased soil carbon and improved nutrient availability. This research is expected to contribute significantly to soil health and crop yields. A budget of Rs 1.39 crore has been allocated for this project.

Bridging the gap between farmers and urban consumers, the government plans to establish 100 "Uzhavar Angadis" (farmer outlets) modelled after the existing "Uzhavar Sandhais" (farmers markets). These outlets will provide urban consumers with direct access to high-quality agricultural produce and value-added products. Farmers will benefit from direct procurement of their produce at fair prices, while consumers will enjoy fresh and locally sourced food. The government has committed Rs 5 crore for the same.

Other similar climate-smart initiatives have also been developed in India prior to this Tamil Nadu move. For instance, Karnataka recently reintroduced its Krishi Bhagya scheme to improve the climate resiliency of dry-land farming via rainwater conservation measures.

Climate-smart villages have also existed in Haryana since the early 2010s, and have seen success in implementing practices like laser-land levelling and mobile-based agro-advisories. The state’s farmers have subsequently reported increased yields, reduced water use, and higher incomes since the adoption of the initiative, reports reveal.