Odisha Eyes National Leadership in Climate-Resilient Agriculture

Bhubaneswar, December 20: Odisha has taken a major step towards becoming a national leader in climate-resilient agriculture by strengthening collaboration among government departments, research institutions, the private sector and civil society organisations.

To advance this goal, the State Government on Saturday convened a high-level inception workshop to formalise the Climate-Smart Agriculture (CSA) Alliance in collaboration with the Centre for Study of Science, Technology and Policy (CSTEP) and Catalyst Management Services (CMS). The Alliance aims to scale up climate-smart agricultural practices across Odisha through coordinated action and knowledge sharing.

The CSA Alliance brings together senior government officials, research institutions, private sector partners, civil society organisations, development agencies and policy experts to jointly address the growing challenges posed by climate change to agriculture.

Addressing the workshop, Agriculture Principal Secretary Arabinda Kumar Padhee said climate change cannot be tackled in isolation and requires integrated mitigation and adaptation efforts. He said the Odisha Climate Smart Agriculture Alliance (OCSAA) would serve as a platform to demonstrate and implement climate-smart technologies identified by CSTEP through partner organisations across the State.

Padhee added that the Alliance will focus on integrating climate resilience into agricultural planning and programmes, strengthening soil and water conservation, and promoting climate-resilient crops, diversified farming systems and horticulture.

Vice-Chancellor of the Orissa University of Agriculture and Technology (OUAT), Prof. Pravat Kumar Roul, said the impacts of climate change are increasingly visible and underscored the need to make agricultural systems smarter to mitigate risks and ensure food and nutrition security.

Director of Soil Conservation and Watershed Development Subrat Kumar Panda said climate-smart agriculture is essential to protect farmer livelihoods, ensure food security and achieve long-term sustainability in the sector.

Dr. Indu K. Murthy, Sector Head at CSTEP, said the Alliance places farmers at the centre of climate action. As the anchor of the initiative and part of the Climate Resilience Cell, CSTEP will work to co-create locally relevant, economically viable and scalable solutions that enhance livelihoods while conserving natural resources.

CMS Co-founder and Director Shiv Kumar said the strength of the Alliance lies in its diverse partners, whose collective expertise will enable large-scale implementation of climate-smart agriculture beyond the capacity of any single institution.

The workshop was attended by senior government officials, scientists and representatives from institutions including CRRI, IIWM, CIWA and CIFA, along with private sector partners, civil society organisations and policymakers.