Climate-Smart Farming: ICAR Launches ACASA Portal to Help Farmers Fight Weather Risks

The ACASA project will work in collaboration with NICRA to align technologies with adaptation strategies through stakeholder engagement and workshops. File Photo.

The Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) has launched the Atlas of Climate Adaptation in South Asian Agriculture (ACASA) website. This is a digital tool designed to help farmers, policymakers, and institutions make informed choices regarding climate risks.

ICAR Director General Mangi Lal Jat said at the launch that the adoption of climate-resilient technologies under the National Innovations in Climate Resilient Agriculture (NICRA) programme, which was launched in 2011, has helped boost productivity in rainfed areas and mitigate the impact of climate change.

The ACASA project will work in collaboration with NICRA to align technologies with adaptation strategies through stakeholder engagement and workshops.

V.K. Singh, Director of the ICAR-Central Research Institute for Dryland Agriculture, informed that carbon footprints of various crops have been assessed. He said that efforts are underway to ensure farmers receive carbon credits for adopting eco-friendly practices.

According to Singh, 11 climate-resilient crop varieties have been developed so far, and the council is exploring artificial intelligence tools to improve the dissemination of information.

Further emphasising the environmental goals, Rajbir Singh, Deputy Director General (Agricultural Extension) at ICAR, stressed the need to establish a carbon trading platform in India within the next five years. He also highlighted the necessity of expanding these climate-resilient initiatives from individual farms to broader landscapes to ensure sustainable agricultural growth.

Source: The Tribune