Making India’s Food System Climate-Proof 

Context: 

India’s journey from dependence on food aid in the 1960s to becoming a major agricultural producer is a remarkable achievement. Public investment in improved seeds, irrigation, procurement, storage, price support and the Public Distribution System (PDS) has enabled the country to maintain buffer stocks and provide subsidised foodgrains to around 81 crore people under the National Food Security Act (NFSA), 2013.

However, the challenge is no longer limited to producing sufficient food. India must ensure an affordable, nutritious and reliable food supply for 1.4 billion people amid rising temperatures, erratic rainfall, water scarcity and extreme weather. 

India’s Existing Strengths: 

India already possesses a strong foundation for climate-proofing its food system:

• Foodgrain production exceeded 350 million tonnes in 2024-25, with record rice and wheat output.
• The Public Distribution System (PDS) provides an extensive food-security safety net.
• Digitisation and the One Nation One Ration Card (ONORC) have improved portability and access to entitlements.
• Institutional mechanisms for procurement, buffer stocking and price support provide the administrative capacity required for transition.

Emerging Climate Risks: 

Climate change affects the entire food value chain:

• Heat stress reduces wheat and other crop yields.
• Erratic monsoons may produce droughts and floods within the same season.
• Groundwater depletion weakens irrigation security.
• Extreme weather damages warehouses, roads and transport networks.
• Disrupted production and logistics create food-price volatility and reduce access to nutritious food.

Thus, food security must be viewed not merely as grain availability but as the resilience of production, storage, transport, markets and consumption.

Diversifying Procurement and the PDS: 

• Limited Procurement: The rice-wheat system served India well, but procurement remains concentrated in a few crops and States, many of which face severe groundwater stress. India should progressively diversify procurement across both commodities and regions, while aligning price support with local climate and water conditions. 
• Crop Diversification: Millets, pulses, oilseeds and other nutri-cereals can:
  • reduce dependence on water-intensive crops
  • distribute production risks across regions
  • improve soil and water sustainability; and
  • strengthen dietary diversity and nutrition.

Rice and wheat will remain essential, but a broader procurement base can create a more resilient national food portfolio. The PDS can similarly include locally appropriate millets and pulses, connecting food security with nutrition and climate adaptation.

Building a Climate-Resilient Food System: 

• Climate-informed planning: India Meteorological Department forecasts should be integrated with procurement, buffer stock and contingency decisions. NFSA monitoring may include indicators relating to heat, water stress, storage vulnerability and supply chain resilience, alongside conventional measures such as coverage and foodgrain offtake.
• Farmer-level resilience: Farmers require access to climate-resilient seed varieties, micro-irrigation and watershed development, precision farming and digital weather advisories, diversified cropping systems, and effective weather-indexed crop insurance.
• Public-private collaboration can accelerate research, seed certification and last-mile delivery, while public support must protect smallholders and highly climate-exposed regions.
• Resilient infrastructure: Adaptation must extend beyond farms to include flood-resilient warehouses, heat- and moisture-controlled storage, expanded cold-chain networks, and reliable, climate-resilient transport links. Such infrastructure becomes especially important as the food basket expands to include pulses, fruits, vegetables and other perishables.
• Financing the Transition: Climate-resilient food systems require green bonds, adaptation finance, agricultural insurance and investment in sustainable value chains. Food systems should also be integrated into India’s net-zero pathway, with measurable targets for emission reduction, carbon sequestration and climate resilience. 

Towards a Climate Buffer:

India could develop a broader “climate buffer” combining diversified crops and procurement regions, resilient infrastructure, climate information, insurance and improved water management. This would complement conventional grain buffer stocks by addressing systemic risks rather than merely harvest shortfalls.

Thus, India must shift from the narrow objective of “food security” to “sustainable food security”, embedding climate risk management into NFSA planning, procurement and monitoring. Timely action can ensure that India’s food system remains productive, nutritious, affordable and sustainable in the decades ahead. 

Practice Question: 

Q. The increasing frequency and intensity of disasters are emerging as a major threat to food security in India. Examine the impact of disasters on food security and suggest measures for building a disaster-resilient food system. (10 M)