"India Must Integrate Climate Risk Into Food Security Framework, Experts Argue"
National Food Security Act (NFSA), 2013
Law entitling ~800 million people to subsidised foodgrains via PDS.
One Nation One Ration Card (ONORC)
Scheme making PDS ration entitlements portable across all Indian states.
India's food security architecture was built over decades of public investment following the food crises of the 1960s. The Green Revolution transformed the country from a net food importer dependent on aid into a major global food producer. This transformation rested on improved seed varieties, expanded irrigation, minimum support prices, and a nationwide procurement and distribution network. The National Food Security Act (NFSA), 2013 gave legal backing to this system, entitling approximately 800 million people to subsidised foodgrains through the Public Distribution System (PDS). The Food Corporation of India manages procurement and buffer stocks, while state governments handle last-mile distribution.
The PDS has been progressively modernised. Digitisation of ration cards and the One Nation One Ration Card (ONORC) scheme have made food entitlements portable across state boundaries. This is especially significant for migrant workers. Foodgrain production has grown steadily, reaching over 350 million tonnes in 2024–25, including record outputs of rice and wheat. These achievements provide a strong institutional foundation. The challenge now is to make this foundation climate-proof.
India's food system faces a new set of structural risks from climate change. Heat stress reduces wheat yields. Erratic monsoons cause both floods and droughts within the same season. Groundwater depletion weakens irrigation buffers, particularly in the Indo-Gangetic Plain where the rice-wheat system is concentrated. Extreme weather events damage storage and transport infrastructure. These risks span the entire agricultural value chain, from sowing to consumption.
The current procurement system is concentrated in a few crops, primarily rice and wheat, and a few geographies. This concentration made sense during the production-deficit era. Today, it creates risk concentration. Many of the same regions that dominate procurement also face serious groundwater stress. Diversifying procurement to include millets, pulses, and oilseeds would reduce this risk. …
Elucidate the importance of buffer stocks for stabilizing agricultural prices in India. What are the challenges associated with the storage of buffer stock? Discuss.
From being net food importer in 1960, India has emerged as a net food exporter to the world. Provide reasons.
Elaborate the scope and significance of the food processing industry in India.
In the context of India's preparation for Climate-Smart Agriculture, consider the following statements:
1.The 'Climate-Smart Village' approach in India is a part of a project led by the Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS), an international research programme.
2.The project of CCAFS is carried out under Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) headquartered in France.
3.The International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) in India is one of the CGIAR's research centres.
Which of the statements given above are correct?
With reference to the 'Global Alliance for Climate-Smart Agriculture (GACSA)', which of the following statements is/are correct ?
1.GACSA is an outcome of the Climate Summit held in Paris in 2015.
2.Membership of GACSA does not create any binding obligations.
3.India was instrumental in the creation of GACSA.
Select the correct answer using the code given below :
Consider the following statements regarding India's food security framework:
1.The National Food Security Act (NFSA), 2013 provides legal entitlement to subsidised foodgrains to approximately 800 million people.
2.The One Nation One Ration Card (ONORC) scheme allows PDS beneficiaries to access their entitlements from any fair price shop across India.
3.India's foodgrain production crossed 350 million tonnes for the first time in 2024–25.
4.Under the NFSA, the Food Corporation of India is responsible for last-mile distribution of foodgrains to beneficiaries.
Which of the statements given above are correct?
Consider the following pairs:
Institution / Alliance — Key Feature
1.CCAFS (Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security) — Leads the Climate-Smart Village approach in India
2.GACSA (Global Alliance for Climate-Smart Agriculture) — Creates binding emission-reduction obligations for member countries
3.ICRISAT — A CGIAR research centre based in India
4.India Meteorological Department (IMD) — Mandated under NFSA 2013 to provide climate forecasts for procurement decisions
How many of the above pairs are correctly matched?
With reference to the concept of a 'climate buffer' for India's food security, which of the following statements is/are correct?
1.A climate buffer involves diversifying procurement beyond rice and wheat to include millets, pulses, and oilseeds.
2.Integrating India Meteorological Department forecasts into buffer-stock management is a feature of the current NFSA monitoring framework.
3.A climate buffer aims to reduce systemic risk by combining diversified crops, multiple procurement regions, resilient infrastructure, and climate information systems.
Select the correct answer using the code given below:
Which one of the following best describes the '100 Million Farmers' platform?
Consider the following statements regarding Conservation Agriculture:
1.It involves avoiding monoculture practices.
2.It promotes minimum tillage to reduce soil disturbance.
3.It excludes the cultivation of plantation crops.
4.It includes using crop residues to cover soil surface.
5.It involves adopting spatial and temporal crop rotations.
Which of the statements given above are correct?
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