Q. In the context of India's preparation for Climate-Smart Agriculture, consider the following statements :
- The 'Climate-Smart Village' approach in India is a part of a project led by the Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS), an international research programme.
- The project of CCAFS is carried out under Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) headquartered in France.
- The International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) in India is one of the CGIAR's research centres.
Which of the statements given above are correct? (UPSC Prelims 2021)
Answer:
1, 2 and 3
Notes: The correct answer is
[D] 1, 2 and 3. This question focuses on the institutional framework governing international agricultural research and climate adaptation strategies in India.
- Climate-Smart Village (Statement 1 – Correct): The "Climate-Smart Village" (CSV) approach was developed by the CCAFS (Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security) program. In India, this project aims to help farmers adapt to climate change by testing and implementing a portfolio of integrated interventions (like solar pumps, laser land leveling, and weather-based insurance) at the village level.
- CGIAR and CCAFS (Statement 2 – Correct): CCAFS is a flagship research program of the CGIAR (Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research). The CGIAR System Organization is an international organization headquartered in Montpellier, France, which coordinates research across various centers worldwide to reduce rural poverty and increase food security.
- ICRISAT (Statement 3 – Correct): The International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), located in Patancheru, Hyderabad, is indeed one of the 15 international research centers under the CGIAR umbrella. It specializes in developing resilient crops for dryland areas.
Climate-Smart Agriculture (CSA) is defined by three main pillars: sustainably increasing agricultural productivity, adapting and building resilience to climate change, and reducing/removing greenhouse gas emissions where possible.