Making India’s Food System Climate-Proof Cannot Wait

UPSC Syllabus: Gs Paper 3- issues of buffer stocks and food security

Introduction

India has moved from food-aid dependence in the 1960s to becoming a major food producer. This achievement is supported by strong buffer stocks and the National Food Security Act (NFSA), 2013, which provides subsidised foodgrains to around 800 million people. Climate change and wider disruptions now threaten these gains through rising temperatures, erratic rainfall, extreme weather and supply-chain risks. India must ensure an affordable, nutritious and climate-resilient food supply for its 1.4 billion people.

Why Does India Need to Climate-Proof Its Food System?

1. Heat stress and lower crop yields: Rising temperatures can reduce wheat yields, while climate variability can disrupt monsoons, reduce agricultural output and increase pressure on water resources.
2. Erratic monsoons and extreme events: Unpredictable rainfall can cause floods and droughts within the same season, creating serious uncertainty for agricultural production.
3. Groundwater depletion: Falling groundwater levels weaken irrigation buffers and make agricultural production more vulnerable when rainfall becomes unreliable.
4. Risks across the food chain: Extreme weather and other disruptions can affect production, storage, transport, fertiliser supplies and agricultural trade, creating wider food-security risks.
5. Market volatility and food access: Disruptions across food supply chains can increase market volatility and limit access to affordable and nutritious food, especially for vulnerable populations.
6. Concentration of production: Heavy dependence on a few crops, regions or production models increases vulnerability to climate, economic and supply disruptions.

India’s Existing Strengths and Opportunities

1. High foodgrain production: India produced more than 350 million tonnes of foodgrains in 2024–25, including record output of rice and wheat.
2. Large food security coverage: The NFSA, 2013 provides a legal entitlement to subsidised foodgrains for around 800 million people.
3. Strong institutional foundation: Public investment in improved seeds, irrigation, procurement, storage, price support and distribution has created a strong food-security base.
4. Established distribution system: The Public Distribution System (PDS) provides an extensive mechanism for delivering food entitlements across the country.
5. Digitisation and portability: Digitisation and the One Nation One Ration Card (ONORC) have expanded the reach and portability of food entitlements.
6. Support for farmers: PM-KISAN has provided direct benefit transfers to more than 110 million farming households, strengthening farmer and food-system resilience.
7. Experience with climate-resilient crops: India’s promotion of the International Year of Millets in 2023 has drawn greater attention to millets as climate-resilient and nutrient-rich crops.
8. Capacity for wider cooperation: India’s investments in food systems, digital public infrastructure and climate-adaptive agriculture provide experience that can also support wider cooperation.

Building a Climate-Resilient Food System

A. Diversifying Crops, Production and Procurement

1. Diversifying procurement: Procurement should gradually expand across crops and geographical regions to reduce dependence on a limited production base.
2. Climate-suitable price support: Price support should encourage crops suited to local water availability and climate conditions, reducing pressure on stressed resources.
3. Promoting climate-resilient crops: Millets, pulses, oilseeds and other nutri-cereals can reduce risk concentration while improving dietary diversity and climate resilience.
4. Reducing dependence on single models: Food security should not rely excessively on one crop, production model or supply source, as such dependence increases vulnerability to disruptions.
5. Maintaining essential cereals: Rice and wheat will remain important, but a broader production and procurement base can create a more resilient food portfolio.

B. Diversifying the Food Basket

1. Including locally suitable foods: The PDS can gradually include locally appropriate millets and pulses along with existing foodgrains.
2. Linking food security with sustainability: A diversified food basket can connect nutrition, water conservation and climate adaptation with food security.

C. Using Climate Information and Early Warning

1. Climate-informed food decisions: Forecasts from the India Meteorological Department (IMD) can guide procurement, buffer-stock management and contingency decisions.
2. Monitoring climate-related risks: The NFSA monitoring framework can include heat stress, water stress, storage exposure and supply-chain resilience alongside coverage and offtake.
3. Broader supply-chain assessment: Early-warning systems can also assess disruptions affecting food, fertilisers, fuel and logistics, allowing quicker responses to food-system risks.

D. Strengthening Farmers Against Climate Risks

1. Climate-resilient farming tools: Climate-resilient seeds, micro-irrigation, watershed development, precision farming and digital advisories can reduce production variability.
2. Access to critical farm inputs: Predictable and affordable access to fertilisers, quality seeds, technology and concessional finance can strengthen agricultural resilience.
3. Weather-based insurance: Weather-indexed insurance can help farmers manage climate-related risks and support better decisions under uncertain weather conditions.
4. Support for small and marginal farmers: Public safety nets and targeted support can ensure that smallholders and climate-exposed regions are not left behind.
5. Research and last-mile delivery: Public-private collaboration can accelerate research, certification and the delivery of climate-related technologies and services to farmers.

E. Building Climate-Resilient Storage and Supply Chains

1. Flood-resilient warehouses: Storage infrastructure should withstand floods and extreme weather to protect foodgrains and other agricultural products.
2. Heat-suitable storage: Storage systems suited to higher temperatures are needed to reduce risks to foodgrains and perishables.
3. Expanded cold chains: Stronger cold-chain infrastructure is necessary to protect perishables as the national food basket becomes more diverse.
4. Robust transport and logistics: Better transport, logistics and supply chains can reduce disruptions in food movement caused by climate and other shocks.
5. Diversified supply chains: Strengthening domestic production and diversifying supply chains can reduce dependence on vulnerable external sources.
6. Adaptation across the value chain: Climate adaptation should cover procurement, storage, logistics and market stabilisation, rather than focusing only on agricultural production.

F. Financing and Coordinating the Transition

1. Climate-resilient finance: Green bonds, adaptation finance, insurance and investment in resilient agricultural value chains can support the required transformation.
2. Affordable development finance: Access to concessional finance can help developing agricultural systems invest in climate adaptation and stronger food production.
3. Integration with climate goals: Food systems can be linked with India’s net-zero pathway through measurable emission reduction, carbon sequestration and resilience targets.
4. Coordinated policy action: Agriculture, water, energy, transport and nutrition should work together to support a coordinated climate-resilient food system.

Towards Sustainable Food Security

1. Building a broader “climate buffer”: Like traditional buffer stocks that reduce poor-harvest risks, diversified crops and regions, resilient infrastructure, climate information, insurance and water management can reduce systemic climate risks.
2. Embedding climate risk in food policy: Climate risk management should become a core design factor in NFSA planning and monitoring rather than being addressed only after disruptions occur.
3. Strengthening domestic and supply resilience: Resilient domestic production, diversified supply chains and reliable access to key agricultural inputs can protect food systems from wider shocks.
4. Moving towards sustainable food security: India should shift from “food security” to “sustainable food security” by combining resilience, nutrition, water management and long-term sustainability.

Conclusion

Climate-resilient food and nutrition security is the logical next phase of India’s food security journey, not a departure from it. India already possesses the institutions, production capacity and policy framework needed for this transition. The priority is to embed climate risk management and supply resilience across production, procurement, infrastructure and distribution, ensuring a nutritious, sustainable and resilient food system for the future.

Question for practice:

Examine the need and key measures for making India’s food system climate-resilient and sustainable.

Source: The Hindu