Kashmir Impulse Desk

Jammu, April 28 

Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Tuesday called for a shift to farmer-focused policies that prioritise climate-resilient crops, urging scientists and policymakers to accelerate efforts to adapt agriculture to rising climate risks.

Speaking at a national summit on sustainable and climate-resilient agroecosystems in Jammu, Sinha said incremental changes were no longer sufficient and called for a “bold, science-led” transformation in the sector.

“The moment has come to move beyond minor adjustments and embrace bold, science-led, farmer-focused transformation,” he said. “Policies must champion climate-resilient crops.”

He urged closer collaboration between researchers and farmers, stressing the need to bridge the gap between laboratory innovation and field-level application, with a focus on developing climate-adapted crop varieties.

Sinha said climate change posed an urgent threat not only to agriculture but to broader economic and social stability, warning that its impacts extended far beyond farms.

“The urgency of this crisis leaves no room for delay,” he said.

Highlighting India’s agricultural performance, he said output had risen in the past year, supported by diversification into high-value horticulture crops, though extreme weather events were becoming more frequent.

Sinha outlined a set of priorities for climate-resilient agriculture, including farmer-led research partnerships, expanded insurance coverage, improved access to climate information, conservation of traditional seeds and better policy coordination.

He also called for greater use of precision and regenerative farming techniques, improved water management and increased use of technology to boost sustainability and productivity.

The lieutenant governor urged financial institutions to prioritise funding for sustainable agriculture and said policies should focus on protecting small and marginal farmers, who he said were most vulnerable to climate impacts.

“Farmers are not merely producers of grain but custodians of tradition, culture and food security,” he said.

The summit was attended by policymakers, scientists and industry experts, who discussed innovation and policy frameworks to strengthen climate resilience in agriculture.