The National Innovations on Climate Resilient Agriculture (NICRA) project, launched by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research in February 2011, aims to enhance the resilience of Indian agriculture against climate change through strategic research, technology demonstration, and capacity building. Key components of NICRA include adaptation to climate variability, technology demonstrations in selected districts, and the development of climate resilient technologies, such as drought-tolerant crop varieties and improved livestock management practices. The initiative has also facilitated extensive training programs for farmers and scientists, and competitive grants to address critical research gaps related to climate change.

1. National Innovations on
Climate Resilient Agriculture(NICRA)
Presentation by
Krishnapriya.N

2.  National Innovations on Climate Resilient
Agriculture(NICRA) is a network project of the Indian
Council Of Agricultural Research(ICAR) launched in
February,2011.
 The project aims to enhance resilience of indian
agriculture to climate change and climate vulnerability
through strategic research and technology
demonstration.The research on adaptation and
mitigation covers crops ,livestocks ,fisheries and
natural resource management.
About NICRA

3. Objectives
 To undertake strategic and applied research on climate change adaptation and mitigation.
 To validate, demonstrate and assess the impact of climate resilient technologies on
farmers' fields.
 To strengthen the capacity of scientists, farmers and other stakeholders on climate
resilient agriculture.
Project Details
• STRATEGIC RESEARCH
• TECHNOLOGY DEMONSTRATION
• CAPACITY BUILDINGS
• SPONSORED /COMPETITIVE GRANTS
Components
of NICRA
The Scheme will be implemented with the following four components.

4. Adaptation to climate variability and climate change requires long term strategic research
in the area of Natural Resource Management, Crops, Pests and disease dynamics,
Livestock, Fisheries & Energy Efficiency. Focused programmes are taken up on different
commodities on adaptation and mitigation. The strategic research is being carried out
involving 21 Institutes of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research out of which seven are
core institutes where state of the art research.The major research themes are:
 Assessment of major production zones
 Linking weather-based agro-advisories
 Assessing the impacts and evolving varieties which are tolerant to climatic disturbances
like drought, heat, frost, flooding, etc. in food and horticulture crops
 Effective monitoring of greenhouse gases
 Evolving adaptation and mitigation plans through enhancing water and nutrient use
efficiency and conservation agriculture
 Studying environmental changes in pests, pest/pathogen-crop relationships and
solutions with new pests and pathogens under climate change.
 Adaptation of strategies in livestock through nutritional and environmental initiatives
Strategic Research

5.  Technical program
• Vulnerability Assessment
• irrigated zones (IGP) and crops (Rice,
Wheat, Chickpea)
through indicator approach and simulation
modelling
• 600 districts and NARP
zonesNational Agricultural Research
Project
• Real time contingency Planning
and customized agro advisories
• Comparative evaluation of farmers
practice and real time contingency
options
• Phenotyping and genetic
Enhancement
• Field screening of germplasm
• Standardizing high through put
Phenotyping protocols for wheat,
rice, maize, pigeon pea, tomato and
mango
• Adaptation and Mitigation through
Soil, Water, Nutrient management and
agro forestry: Measurement of GHGs
• Sub Theme: Soil Carbon
Sequestration
• Pest and Disease Dynamics
Collection of historical data on crop-insect-
pest-disease-weather
• Generation of pest hot-spot
• Development of pest/disease
forewarning models
• Livestock
• Survey of breeds and farming systems
• Survey of indigenous pigs and poultry
germplasm
• Nutritional studies in cattle and buffalo
• Fisheries
• Analysis of time series climate
data
• and relating to production
• Quantifying impact of extreme
events through
• simulation modelling

6.  Climate research infrastructure
High throughput Plant Phenomics plat forms
Free Air Temperature Elevation (FATE)
Custom-designed Animal Shelter
Environment Controlled Poultry House
Fish Phenology Lab

7. The process of finalizing demonstration consists of the following
steps:
1. Analysis of climatic constraints of village based on long term
data
2. Assessment of the natural resources status of the village
3. Identification of major production systems
4. Studying of existing institutional structures and identify gaps
Focus group discussion with the community to finalize the
interventions
Districts Selected for Technology Demonstration
The districts to be covered for these demonstrations and list of KVKs are given in Fig.
The technology demonstration component consists of the following partners:
1.Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVK)s in eight zones -121
2.Co-operating centres of All India Coordinated Research Project (AICRP) on Dryland Agriculture-23
3.Technology Transfer Divisions of Core Institutes–7
Under this component, an integrated package of proven technologies would be demonstrated in one village
panchayat in each district for adaptation and mitigation of the crop and livestock production systems to
climate variability based on the available technologies.
Technology Demonstration

8. The interventions in the village panchayats are finalised following a participatory approach through
the Village Climate Risk Management Committee (VCRMC) based on the climate-related problems in
the village survey.
The interventions cover the following four modules:
 Module I : Natural resources
This module consists of interventions related to in-situ moisture conservation, water harvesting and
recycling for supplemental irrigation, improved drainage in flood prone areas, conservation tillage
where appropriate, artificial ground water recharge and water saving irrigation methods.
 Module II : Crop Production
This module consists of introducing drought/temperature tolerant varieties, advancement of planting
dates of rabi crops in areas with terminal heat stress, water saving paddy cultivation methods (SRI,
aerobic, direct seeding), frost management in horticulture through fumigation, community nurseries
for delayed monsoon, custom hiring centres for timely planting, location specific intercropping systems
with high sustainable yield index.
 Module III : Livestock and Fisheries
Use of community lands for fodder production during droughts/floods, improved fodder/feed storage
methods, preventive vaccination, improved shelters for reducing heat stress in livestock, management
of fish ponds/tanks during water scarcity and excess water, etc.

9.  Module IV : Institutional Interventions
This module consist of institutional interventions either by strengthening the
existing ones or initiating new ones relating to seed bank, fodder bank,
commodity groups, custom hiring centre, collective marketing, introduction of
weather index based insurance and climate literacy through a village level
weather station.

10.  As climate change is an emerging area of science, capacity building of young
scientists on simulation modelling, phenotyping, greenhouse gasses
measurement, etc. is being taken up through training programs organised in
India and sponsoring scientists abroad. Similarly, more than 100 training
programs have been organised across the country, covering 50000 farmers to
create awareness on climate change and variability.
Under this objective, the following capacity building programmes are planned for
different stakeholders.
 Scientists
 Central/ State line department officers
 Farmers, NGOs, Self Help Groups (SHGs) and etc.
 Development Banks, Co-operative Societies and Insurance Companies
 Policymakers
Capacity Building

11.  One of the key components of the National Initiative is
sponsored/competitive grants. An amount of 25.00 crores is earmarked
through sponsored/competitive grant component for 2010-12, out of which
10% is earmarked for North East. Research proposals addressing critical gaps
of national importance not covered in the main project, will be funded under
this component inviting proposals from identified institutions or through an
open invitation on competitive basis from institutions/individuals both within
and outside National Agricultural Research System (NARS).
 The critical issues like impact on plant pollinators, fisheries in esturian
habitats, hail storm management, hill and mountain eco-system, small
ruminants and socio-economic aspects of climate change etc. are provided
with grants to undertake research.
Sponsored and competitive grants

12.  Output
• Climate resilient technologies have been developed viz., climate smart crop
varieties/cultivars tolerant to abiotic stresses in rice, wheat, maize,
pigeonpea, blackgram, greengram, tomato, onion; livestock breeds and
management practices to bring climate resilience in agriculture.
• State of the art, climate change research facilities have been established at
several institutes across the country to carry out research on the impact of
climate change and develop climate resilient technologies.
• Prepared district level risk assessment of Indian agriculture to climate change
(572 rural districts).
• ICAR along with NARS has developed District Agriculture Contingency Plans for
650 districts in India and is being updated regularly.
• GHG inventory for agriculture sector in the country is being prepared by
standardization of the techniques for measurement of GHG emissions in
different cropping, and marine ecosystems and estimates of carbon
sequestration potential through major agro-forestry systems in the country.
• Total C stock available in different carbon pools under agro-forestry systems
in the country has been estimated. It was estimated that agro-forestry area in
the country (7.45 m. ha) has CO2 sequestration potential of 22.41 million
tones.

13. • A nation-wide pest surveillance and monitoring system has been put in place
for all the target crops for major pests and diseases wherein real time
incidence is being monitored along with weather parameters to build pest
warning models.
• Tomato grafted on brinjal root stocks to withstand drought and flood have
been standardized for different locations with location specific root stocks.
• Using climate analogues approach identified suitable regions for growing
different species of spices in the future climate change scenario.
• Characterized livestock germplasm for improved breeds to heat stress, shelter
and nutrient management technologies for livestock to reduce GHG emissions
and to cope with weather aberrations.
• Relative vulnerability assessment of Indian marine fishes to climate change
has been completed using impact and adaptation attributes. Mitigation
options to combat vulnerability of the marine species have been
demonstrated.
 Outcome
 Enhanced resilience of agricultural production in vulnerable regions of the
country.

14.  Representative Concentration Pathway (RCP) 4.5
is a scenario of long-term, global emissions of
greenhouse gases
Zero till cultivation of wheat
Zero till cultivation of wheat is being demonstrated in upper
and mid gangetic regions by IARI, New Delhi. In upper
gangetic regions demonstrations were taken up in Haryana
and in mid gangetic region demonstrations were takenup in
Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh and Gaya, Bihar.Significant
savings on tillage as well as higher benefit cost ratio were
observed in case of zero-tillage than conventional system.
Technology Cost of
cultivation
Yield (q ac-1)Gross
income (Rs)
Benefi t-cost
ratio
Zero-till 14560 19.37 29052 1.99
Conventional18850 18.12 27186 1.44
Zero till sowing in paddy harvested fields in the states of Haryana and Gaya, Bihar
Table-Impact of zero-till and raised bed planting in wheat in Gaya, Bihar
Results