At the DialogueNEXT held on 8th September, a thought-provoking fireside chat took place between Ms. Alison Laing, Agroecologist at CIMMYT, and Shri Ramesh Chand, Member (Agriculture), NITI Aayog, and member, CGIAR Integrated Partnership Board. Their exchange revolved around innovative agricultural policies, technology adoption, climate resilience, and India’s role in global food security.
Taking Innovation to Farmers
Opening the dialogue, Ms. Laing observed that while developing technologies is difficult, the bigger challenge often lies in ensuring adoption by understandably risk-averse farmers. Drawing on his long policy experience, Shri Chand underlined that innovation is only as valuable as its timely delivery. “Having technology that does not reach the farmer is a wasted goal. Every technology has a life — suppose it lasts 20 years. If you delay it by five years, then 25% of its potential is already lost.”
He described two key approaches India has taken to overcome this gap. The first is the conventional extension system, a vast network linking the Ministry of Agriculture and ICAR with grassroots extension workers and agencies at block and village levels. The second is promoting inputs where technology is embedded, such as high-yielding seed varieties, often distributed through public institutions.
Alongside these, digital tools are becoming increasingly central. “India is a global leader in digital technology. Today, broadband connectivity has reached 632,000 of our 644,000 villages. Farmers can access advisory services through Wi-Fi and mobile platforms. In 2015, we also launched a dedicated TV channel—DD Kisan—where scientists and experts regularly engage with farmers. We now even have two AI anchors translating agricultural content into 50 languages,” he said.
Building Climate Resilience
Ms. Laing then steered the conversation toward the urgent question of climate change and its impact on farming communities. Shri Chand countered the perception that Indian agriculture is becoming more vulnerable. “Contrary to the belief that climate change is making Indian agriculture more vulnerable, the resilience of Indian agriculture has improved considerably. Over the last decade, we have not recorded negative agricultural growth in any year, which is a subtle but strong indicator of resilience.”
This, he explained, rests on four pillars: expanded irrigation, diversification into horticulture, livestock and fisheries, responsive technologies, and increasing farmer investments. “Irrigation is our strongest instrument to deal with climatic extremes. We are adding one percent of area under irrigation every year. At the same time, diversification and responsive technology have played major roles in cushioning climate shocks.”
India’s Role in Global Food Security
Moving beyond domestic issues, Ms. Laing invited Shri Chand to reflect on India’s global role in ensuring food security. He pointed to India’s consistent commitment to the Global South. “From the very beginning, India has shared its publicly funded technologies with other developing countries in the true spirit of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam. Recently, during our G20 presidency, we proposed the Global Centre of Excellence on Climate Resilient Agriculture. India has also established a South-South collaboration centre to share expertise in digital technologies and agricultural innovations.”
He added that India actively advocates for agriculture as a global priority: “Wherever opportunities come, we support agriculture being treated as a global public good.”
Towards Viksit Bharat 2047
To conclude, Ms. Laing framed the discussion around India’s long-term vision of becoming a developed nation by 2047, asking how researchers and policymakers could better collaborate. Shri Chand responded with both ambition and clarity: “By 2047, we must raise our per capita income sevenfold—from the current $2,700 to around $14,000. This requires sustained 8% economic growth, of which agriculture must grow at 5%.”
He emphasised agriculture’s central role in inclusive development. “Agriculture contributes one-sixth of the national income and employs 46% of our population. A one percent increase in agricultural growth reduces poverty far more effectively than similar growth in other sectors.”
Agriculture, he stressed, has also been transformative for women and poverty reduction. “Seven years ago, only 16.5% of women were in the workforce; today it is 31%. Poverty has fallen from 22% to 7% in the past decade—largely due to agricultural growth. Without agriculture, no big national objective can be achieved.”
Ending on a confident note, he remarked, “Agriculture is close to the growth rate needed to achieve the objectives of Viksit Bharat. The challenge now lies with other sectors to keep pace.”
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