Jammu Kashmir Gets Climate-Smart Push with Rs 22.5 Crore Project Under National Adaptation Fund

SRINAGAR: Jammu and Kashmir has been allocated over Rs 22.5 crore under the National Adaptation Fund for Climate Change (NAFCC) to implement climate-smart agriculture in its rain-fed farming (Kandi) areas, according to details presented in the Rajya Sabha on Thursday.

Responding to a question on government efforts to address the climate crisis, Minister of State for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Kirti Vardhan Singh said that NAFCC projects are being implemented across 27 States and Union Territories, with a total approved cost of Rs 847.48 crore.

The Jammu & Kashmir project, titled “Climate Resilient Sustainable Agriculture in Rain-Fed Farming (Kandi) Areas”, seeks to strengthen the resilience of smallholder farmers who are heavily dependent on rain-fed cultivation and are increasingly vulnerable to erratic rainfall, droughts, and rising temperatures.

Out of the sanctioned Rs 2,251.53 lakh (Rs 22.5 crore), Rs 275.79 lakh was released in FY 2022–23 for implementation through the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD), which acts as the National Implementing Entity for NAFCC.

The initiative aims to promote soil and water conservation, diversify crop choices, and introduce climate-smart agricultural practices to safeguard food security and rural livelihoods.

Overall, 30 projects have been sanctioned under NAFCC, covering themes such as sustainable agriculture, livestock and fisheries management, soil and water conservation, biodiversity protection, and livelihood diversification.

“These projects have helped enhance resilience of natural resource-dependent communities and vulnerable groups, while also improving ecosystem services that had deteriorated due to climate change,” the Ministry said in its reply.

The government noted that a third-party evaluation conducted in 2020 highlighted both the strengths and challenges of ongoing NAFCC projects. Key achievements included livelihood diversification, ecosystem restoration, and building awareness on adaptation at community and institutional levels.

However, experts point out that in fragile Himalayan regions like Jammu and Kashmir, adaptation measures need to be continuously scaled up given the compounded risks of glacial retreat, erratic rainfall, and warming trends that threaten agriculture, water resources, and biodiversity.

Environmentalists in Jammu and Kashmir have long warned that the Himalayan states are on the frontline of climate change, facing rising instances of flash floods, landslides, and crop failures. Projects like the Kandi-area climate-smart initiative, they argue, must be integrated with broader watershed management, afforestation, and livelihood schemes to offer sustainable protection.

With climate models predicting more extreme weather events in the coming decades, the success of the NAFCC-backed project in Jammu and Kashmir could play a critical role in safeguarding the future of farming communities in the Union Territory.