Climate Based Smart Agriculture: Need for Food Security and Sustainability

Abstract

A variety of climate-smart agriculture technologies, practices, and services have been introduced in climate-smart villages as adaptation strategies to cope with climate risks and ensure stability and sustainability in agricultural production. Farmers who utilize climate-smart agriculture adaptation strategies have been shown to achieve higher output, yield, and return compared to those who do not. There are promising opportunities to scale out these strategies and immense potential to enhance crop yields and farm incomes while reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Strengthening agricultural extension services and agricultural finance by linking climate finance to traditional agricultural finance could play a significant role in scaling out climate-smart agriculture practices and technologies. This would make agriculture more sustainable and climate-resilient, thereby becoming a viable source of livelihood and food security for millions of farmers in the country. Zero budget natural farming is a climate-resilient farming system that can enhance food and nutritional security while allowing farmers to improve soil fertility and yields at lower costs, risks, and irrigation requirements. This system protects the ecosystem by improving soil organic matter, water retention, and biodiversity, while reducing air and water pollution as well as greenhouse gas emissions.