ICAR, Borlaug Institute Review 15 Years of NICRA, Launch Climate Adaptation Atlas for Agriculture
Officials at the review workshop jointly organised by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research and the Borlaug Institute for South Asia, marking 15 years of the National Innovations in Climate Resilient Agriculture (NICRA) programme and the launch of the Atlas of Climate Adaptation in Indian Agriculture (ACASA–India) in New Delhi on Friday.
New Delhi: The Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) and the Borlaug Institute for South Asia on Thursday jointly organised a review workshop of the National Innovations in Climate Resilient Agriculture (NICRA) programme and launched the Atlas of Climate Adaptation in Indian Agriculture (ACASA–India), marking a major milestone in India’s climate-resilient agriculture efforts.
The event was inaugurated by ML Jat, Secretary, Department of Agricultural Research and Education (DARE) and director general of ICAR, who said the workshop was aimed at synthesising 15 years of NICRA learnings and developing a data-driven roadmap to strengthen climate-resilient agri-food systems.
Climate Resilience and Strategic Direction
Speaking on the occasion, Jat said the programme has reached a critical juncture requiring clear strategic direction and long-term vision. Despite increasing climate stresses, Indian agriculture—particularly in rainfed regions—has demonstrated resilience and productivity gains, reflecting the impact of climate-resilient technologies, enabling policies and institutional convergence.
He noted that India’s climate resilience has been built on an integrated ecosystem comprising scientific research, policy support, technological innovation, social safety nets, human capital and coordinated implementation. Initiatives such as NICRA, the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana and sectoral missions in livestock and fisheries have collectively enhanced farmers’ adaptive capacity and livelihoods.
Highlighting the way forward, Jat called for deeper integration of data, evidence and investments into a unified national climate action platform, supported by a whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach and a centralised agricultural data ecosystem. He said India’s experience offers a strong global narrative on science-led and policy-aligned solutions for securing agri-food systems under climate stress, positioning NICRA as a potential international model.
Launch of ACASA–India Platform
On the occasion of Basant Panchami, Jat formally launched ACASA–India, a web-enabled digital platform developed by ICAR-led National Agricultural Research and Education System (NARES) in collaboration with CIMMYT through BISA. The platform is designed to support location-specific, data-driven climate adaptation planning in Indian agriculture.
He also launched updated NICRA and Akasha Atlas portals, aimed at strengthening knowledge dissemination and evidence-based decision-making.
Expert Perspectives
Deputy Director General (agricultural extension) Rajbir Singh said the workshop provided a critical platform for scaling climate science and emphasised the need to prioritise robust carbon credit methodologies to support future climate investments in agriculture.
Deputy director general (natural resource management) AK Nayak said the deliberations were relevant for the global agricultural community, bringing together science, data and field-level insights to strengthen climate resilience across agri-food systems.
Other participants included B. Venkateshwarlu, VK Singh and PK Aggarwal.
NICRA at Scale
The workshop reviewed the progress of NICRA, which is currently implemented at over 200 locations across 151 climate-vulnerable districts. Participants noted that strengthening NICRA’s impact would be critical to India’s long-term development goals, including the vision of Viksit Bharat by 2047.
Senior ICAR officials and deputy directors general attended the inaugural session.
