Promoting Climate-Smart Agriculture for a Resilient Odisha

Project Overview

 

The Center for Study of Science, Technology and Policy (CSTEP), in collaboration with the Department of Agriculture and Farmers’ Empowerment (DA&FE), Government of Odisha, is implementing a three-year project (2023–2026) funded by the Gates Foundation to enhance climate resilience in the agriculture and allied sectors. CSTEP is the Odisha Climate Support Unit (OCSU) to the Climate Resilience Cell (CRC) established by the project within DA&FE. The project aims to promote climate-smart agriculture (CSA) and climate-resilient agriculture (CRA) and build institutional capacity to address the risk to droughts, floods, heatwaves, and cyclones, while improving farm productivity, resource efficiency, and farmer livelihoods.

 

Key Objectives

 

1. Enhance farm productivity, improve resource use efficiency, and reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions through CSA interventions.
2. Integrate CSA insights into Odisha’s District Action Plans (DAPs) and policies.
3. Capacity building and training of farmers and government functionaries on climate resilience, adaptation, and mitigation.

 

Key Activities

 

1. Scoping study and risk profiling: Identify high-risk districts on the basis of climate hazards, GHG emissions, and resource use.
2. CSA practice repository: Document global and region-specific CSA best practices to inform interventions.
3. Life cycle assessment (LCA): Analyse the environmental impact of CSA practices to ensure sustainability and optimise resource use.
4. Policy engagement and knowledge exchange: Develop crop-specific CSA recommendations, considering climate risks, and integrate project insights into existing knowledge platforms. Build a ‘Climate-Smart Agriculture (CSA) Alliance’ of interested stakeholders working on climate-resilient agriculture in Odisha to foster multi-stakeholder collaboration.
5. DAPs and pilots: Design targeted CSA pilots, leverage the CSA Alliance for implementation, and integrate climate finance mechanisms for sustainability.
6. Monitoring, evaluation, and learning (MEL): Track CSA progress, measure impact, and refine strategies for scaling successful interventions.
7. Capacity building and training: Conduct state- and district-level workshops for government functionaries and farmers on climate science and resilience strategies.

 

 

Expected Outcomes

 

1. Climate-smart policies and district-level strategies for resilient agriculture.
2. Stronger institutional capacity for climate action.
3. Increased adoption of CSA practices, reducing climate risks to extreme climate events.
4. Enhanced climate finance opportunities to scale CSA interventions.

 

This initiative aims to position Odisha as a leader in climate-resilient agriculture, ensuring sustainable farming systems and food security.

 

 

Upcoming Events

 

Climate Modelling and Risk Assessment Framework for Risk-Informed Adaptation Planning

 

Past Events

 

Climate Change: Science, Impacts, and Solutions

 

Summary Video of the Reports

 

Transforming Farming in Odisha: CSTEP’s Climate-Smart Agriculture Reports

 

Reports

 

Climate Risk Profile for the Agriculture and Allied Sector in Odisha

 

Resource Use and Greenhouse Gas Emissions Profiles for Districts of Odisha

 

Data-Driven Prioritisation of Districts for Climate-Smart Agriculture in Odisha

 

Opinion Pieces

 

Nature India: How India’s Farms Could Lock Away Carbon Instead of Releasing It

 

Blogs

 

Reflections From a Climate Training Workshop: Activity-Based Learning

 

Reflections From a Climate Training Workshop: Ground Realities and Sectoral Insights