This document discusses climate smart agriculture practices that have been demonstrated in villages in India to increase resilience. It provides examples of interventions implemented across four modules: natural resource management, crop production systems, livestock and fisheries production, and institutional mechanisms. The interventions have shown benefits like increased productivity, income, adaptation to climate variability, and some mitigation co-benefits. The document advocates scaling up these practices through developing more climate smart villages and integrating them within national and state policy frameworks and plans.

1. Climate Smart Agriculture: Scaling examples
and learnings
Rajbir Singh
ATARI, Ludhiana
International Workshop on CSV September 3-6, 2015, Ludhiana

2. Agricultural Technology Application Research Institute (ATARI)
KVK Mandate: assessment, refinement and demonstration of
technologies/products to cater to the needs of farming community, extension
personnel and other stakeholders in the district.
Mandate of ATARI: Formulate, Implement, Monitor and Evaluate Programes and
activities of Krishi Vigyan Kendras (Agriculture Science Centre)
KVK Activities:
•On-farm testing to identify the location specificity of agricultural technologies
•Organizing frontline demonstrations at farmers fields
•Organizing need based training of farmers to update their knowledge and skills in
modern agricultural technologies
•Creating awareness about improved technologies to larger masses through appropriate
extension programmes.
•Work as resource and knowledge centre of agricultural technology

3. Total KVKs (ASCs): 641
8 Zones and ATARIs
Total KVKs: 70 Zone-1
ATARI, Ludhiana

4. National Innovations on Climate Resilient Agriculture (NICRA)
Objectives
• To enhance resilience of Indian agriculture (including crops, livestock and fisheries) to
climatic variability and climate change
• To demonstrate site specific technology packages on farmers’ fields to cope with
current climatic variability
• To enhance the capacity of scientists, farmers and other stakeholders in climate
resilient agricultural research and awareness of impacts
Project Components
 Strategic Research
 Technology Demonstrations
 Capacity Building
 Sponsored / Competitive
research grants
PROGRAM AREAS
• Rainfed crop production systems
• Irrigated crop production systems
• Horticultural production systems
• Soil, water and nutrient management
• Monitoring of GHGs
• Resource use efficiency in agriculture
• Improved machinery for adaptation and
mitigation
• Livestock and Dairy sector
• Fisheries including Aquaculture

5. Implementation
framework
ICAR
NRM
Div.
CRIDA
Extn.
Div
ATARI
KVK
NICRA
village
Plan of Work
PRA
FGD
Baseline
Action plan
Interventions
Impact & up-scaling
Village level Climate Risk
Management Committee
(VCRMC)
(10-20 villagers)
ZMC for Monitoring
& Third party
evaluation

6. Baseline Information for CSVs
MaxT, MinT
& RF
monthly
normals
Temperature
deviations
from normal
RF monthly
departures
(June to Sep)
Household
surveys of 50-
100 farmers in
each selected
village:
Holding sizes
& Farm
typologies

7. AWS network and data access
• AWS network server at ICAR-CRIDA www.aicrpam-nicra-aws.in

8. Setting up of small weather station in the village
Temperature
rainfall

9. Climate literacy for value added agro-advisories

10. Climate Smart
Villages
1. Natural
Resource
Management
3. Livestock
& Fisheries
Production
System
4. Village level
Institutional
mechanisms
2. Crop
Production
Systems
Modules & portfolio of interventions for Climate smart
Villages
• On-farm water management
including rain water harvesting
• Conservation tillage
• Land management
• Soil health management
• Multiple stress tolerant &
short duration varieties
• Resilient crops &
cropping systems
• Crop diversification
• Adjustments in
planting time
• Planting methods BBF
• Soil test based nutrient
management
• Stress tolerant
breeds eg., small
ruminants
• Feed & Fodder
management
• Shelter & Health
management
• Establishment of Village Climate
Risk Management Committees
(VCRMCs)
• Custom hiring centres for farm
machinery
• Seed & Fodder banks

11. Assessment of Interventions*
C S Interventions Food security Climate Risk
Management
Adaptation Mitigation
NRM
Laser land
levelling
++ ++ ++ +++
Crop Production
Zero tillage ++ ++ +++ ++
Crop
diversification
+++ +++ + +
Livestock
Production
Mineral mixtures ++ +++ +
Institutional
Agro-advisories ++ +++ +
* Potential: +++ high, ++ medium; + reasonable

12. Towards climate smart villages

13. Bhalot village in Kutch –
towards climate smartness
155 households
771 population
1040 livestock
142 livestock
owners
Sandy / Sandy loam soils,
undulated topography
Av. Annual rainfall 360
mm, 13-15 rainy days
Land use:
2176 ha geographical area of village,
1016 ha cultivated area, 560 ha irrigated
area (430 ha open wells, 35 ha under tube
wells; 61 ha fallow, 160 ha pasture
 Scanty rainfall
 Sea water intrusion (5 km), salinity
 Depletion of groundwater
 Cyclonic storms
 Soil erosion
Baseline established
The case of

14. Climate smart practices in Bhalot village, Kutch, Gujarat
NRM
interventions
In-situ measures
Farm bunding with
pucca waist weir, 41
farmers, 82 ha,
convergence with
DWDU
Stop dams for
community use (3)
(Farmer contribution
@ Rs 1000)
Recharging of wells
Efficient use thro’
drip irrigation
(convergence)
Border plantation
(fruit plants)

15. Climate smart practices in Bhalot village, Kutch
Crop
Interventions
Cumin (GC-4), 170
demos, 68 ha, 32%
increase, 9.5 vs 7.2
q/ha)
Cotton (drip
irrigation), 20
farmers, 31 ha
Cluster bean (GG-2),
100 demos, 40 ha,
26% productivity
increase (17.5 vs
13.8 q/ha)
Castor (GCH-7), 15
demos, 6 ha, 16%
productivity
increase (40 q vs
36.6 q/ha)

16. Climate smart practices in Bhalot village, Kutch
Livestock
interventions
Improved shelter
for livestock for
heat stress (5
models)
Community
fodder
production –
Dhaman grass
Breed
improvement in
the village (3
pure breed
Kankrej bulls)
Cattle health,
678 animals,
convergence with
Dept.
Milk yield increased by 15-25% in the village

17. Climate Smart practices in Bhalot village, Kutch
VCRMC
Custom hiring
centre
Rs 30000
Seed bank
Fodder sorghum
(Gundri) (860 kg),
Lucerne (620 kg)
Community
fodder bank, 380
animals, 142
livestock owners
24 meetings,
Bank deposit
Rs 3.25 lakhs

18. Mitigation co-benefits -
Carbon balance in Kutch village (t CO2 eq)
-10000
-8000
-6000
-4000
-2000
0
2000
4000
6000
8000
Deforestation
Afforestation
OtherLUC
Annuals
Perennials
Paddy
Livestock
Inputs
Final Carbon balance
Gross fluxes All GHGs in tCO2 eq.
Without With project Balance
Total 23,902 21,773 -2,128
Per hectare 20 18 -2
Per hectare per year 1.0 0.9 -0.1

19. Local Ragi
ML365
Drought proofing of another rainfed village – Tumkur,
Karnataka
 Interventions in four modules (NRM, Crops, Livestock and Institutional)
 Investment @ US $ 25K/year over 3 years generated additional wealth
and environmental services valued at $ 115K
 Enabled farmers to cope with severe drought where the loss was
restricted to 30% as against 70% in neighboring villages

20. Mitigation co-benefits:
Carbon balance in Tumkur village (t CO2 eq)
-10000
-8000
-6000
-4000
-2000
0
2000
4000
Final Carbon balance
Tumkur village Gross fluxes: All GHGs in tCO2 eq.
Without With project Balance
Total 8,960 -3,590 -12,549
Per hectare 30 -12 -41
Per hectare per year 1.5 -0.6 -2.1

21. Yagantipalle, Kurnool, AP)
Setaria + Pigeonpea (5:1)
Adoption of resilient Intercropping
System – coping with erratic rainfall
-53
-73
- 94
June July August September October
RF(%)
2014
Ann. mean RF 633 mm
2011 2012 2013
2014
25
95
150
220
10
120
225
300No. of farmers
Area (ha)
Coverage
60 % farmers
47% area
8 q/ha, Rs.2500/q, short duration, suitable for
delayed planting, fodder value

22. Staggered Community nursery technique
• To avoid transplanting of over-aged seedlings (medium to long duration varieties in
lowlands)
• Nursery sowings on 15th June, 28th June and 12th July
• Technique adopted by the State Dept. of Agriculture, Bihar (Rs 16500 /acre nursery)
Coping with delayed onset of monsoon

23. Direct Seeding of Rice with Drum Seeder in Puddled Field
Technology
Demonstrated
Yield
(q/ha)
Water
required
(m3 )
Water
saving
%
Diesel
Consum
ed (lit.)
Diesel
saving
%
Sowing with
Paddy Drum
Seeder
45.5 3000 14.0 71 16
Farmer practice
(Transplanting)
40.8 3500 - 85 -
* Discharge of 5 HP Diesel pumpset 42000 lit/hr
• DSR with Drum Seeder in puddled field demonstrated in
Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh and Kerala
 Saving 35 Man Days in transplanting and nursery uprooting
 Flexible Sowing date depending on onset of monsoon
 Flexibility in selection of variety
 Disease incidence reduced by 30%

24. Tolerant paddy
cultivars
Yield (q/ha) % increase
in yield
B: C
ratioDemo Local
Swarna Sub-1 41.25 33.75 18.9 2.09
MTU-1061 45.28 28.1 23.1 1.84
MTU-1140
55.1
31.8 73.2 2.01
Demonstration of Tolerant Paddy Varieties in Flood Prone Areas
MTU-1061
Swarna sub-1
• Flood tolerant paddy varieties demonstrated in Assam,
AP, Orissa, Bihar, West Bengal, Gujarat
• Identified performing varieties in low, medium and
high inundation areas
• Submergence tolerance from 7-10 days
• Increased yield due to reduced extent of lodging
• Prevented loss in grain and straw yield

25. Preservation of green fodder in silage bags - –
small dairy units
Capacity of bag : 500 kg
Crop : Maize
No. of farmers : 5 (2 bags /farmer)
Date of silage done : 21.09.14
Date opened : 4.11.14 (after 42 d)
Feeding rate/animal: 5 kg/day
Kurnool (A.P)

26. Impact:
No reduction in
milk yield
during
summer; 8
litres per day
as against 3 lpd
(control)
Pit size 16x 6 x 5 feet capacity 8 t
Augmenting Fodder Availability in Dry Months
- Medium size dairy units
Silage making
demonstrated
in Jalgaon KP,
Pune District

27. Enabling village level support systems

28. Village Climate Risk Management Committee (VCRMCs)
– people’s participation for prioritization & decision making
Name of the
VCRMC
Village
name
No. of
members
Bank details
A/C no. Amount
VCRMC,
Gumla
Gunia 12 4935101100
06239
44000
TDC

29. CS villages in Ropar (Punjab)
Total cultivated area 561 ha
Small - marginal farmers 70%
Major cropping system Paddy -wheat
Area under Wheat 424 ha
Area under Paddy 402 ha
Villages
Rasidpur
Fatehgarh viran
Rampur fasse
Mohanmajra
Major environmental concern : Burning of paddy residue

30. Intervention : wheat sowing with Happy Seeder in 20 ha during Rabi 2014-15
Parameters
(Rs / ha)
Method of sowing
Happy seeder Conventional (seed drill)
Cost of field preparation based
on custom hiring charges
2500 6350
Weedicide and labour charges 400 1375
Pesticide 90 -
Total 2990 7725
Net saving 4735
Economics of wheat sowing with happy seeder and conventional sowing

31. Resilience due to Happy Seeder
Parameters Happy seeder sowing Conventional sowing
Lodging (%) 2 15-20
Yield (q/ha) 52.50 46.25
Happy Seeder
sown plot
Conventional
plot
Major climatic adversity during Winter 2014-15
Rainfall (mm) 2015
Month Feb March April
Rain
(mm)
48 (34) 82 (43) 35 (11)

32. Summer moong Zero till wheat
Ropar, Faridkot, Fatehgarh Sahib (Punjab)
Summer moong
Area (ha) Farmers
138 302
Direct Seeded Rice
Area (ha) Farmers
94 91
Zero till wheat
Area (ha) Farmers
168 273
0
50
100
150
Area (ha) Farmers
0
10
20
30
40
Area (ha) Farmers
0
50
100
150
Area (ha) Farmers
DSR

33. Towards Developing Climate Smart villages
• In XII Plan period, the vision is to develop at least 50 CSVs by 2016-17
• These villages should act as hubs for upscaling climate smart practices under NMSA. The
Vision is to have all these villages fully comply with CR practices like
1. Utilization of complete surface water harvesting potential
2. Mandatory ground water recharge structures
3. Fertilizer use only based on soil testing
4. Nitrogen application based on better products
5. Use of energy efficient pumps for water lifting
6. No burning of crop residues; mandatory greening of waste lands with tree
cover
7. Green and brown manuring to the extent feasible
8. Water saving paddy cultivation practices (direct seeding, AWD etc.)
9. Mandatory vaccination of livestock for seasonal diseases
10. Livestock feeding, housing and manure management that emit least
methane
11. All farmers to have access to agro advisories through mobiles
12. Appropriate weather insurance packages identified

34. Linkages among NAPCC, SAPCC, LAPA and
climate smart villages (CSVs)
Source: Aryal et al (2015), CIMMYT-CCAFS

35. Interface Meeting
for up-scaling of CS Technologies

36. Summing up
 Integrated farming system approach to adaptation in CS
villages including technological interventions, management
practices, institutional and policy interventions has shown
promising results
 Case studies demonstrated evidences of productivity and
income enhancement and adaptation with mitigation co-
benefits
 Mainstreaming of these smart practices in NMSA has begun
with a Policy Dialogue with the Ministry of Agriculture for its
out scaling
 Initiative taken for follow-up of Technology Demonstrations in
cluster villages

37. Way Forward
 Mapping area and farming system specific climate smart
practices / products
 Develop framework and metrics for CSA
 Integrated modelling framework to develop local area
plans and out scaling
 Simple Decision Support tools for prioritisation of climate
smart practices for investment planning
 Institutional mechanisms and convergence

38. My Village my pride
(Launched during July 2015 by Prime Minister)
• Scheme to make scientists (NARES) adopt
villages, promote best farming practices –step
towards CSA and CSV
• 20,ooo scientists (group of 4-5) will adopt
village to guide farmers
• Overall 4000-5000 villages will be benefited
• More focussed on breezing gap and
convergence of Govt policies