Principal secretary to the Prime Minister PK Mishra on Wednesday urged closer integration of scientific research, reliable data and policymaking to tackle challenges in agriculture, food security and nutrition posed by climate change.
Addressing the inaugural session of the 20th Annual Meeting of the Environment for Development Network at the Indian Institute of Management in Kozhikode, Mishra stated that India must strengthen the availability and use of district-level data to anticipate climate risks and make agricultural and food security policies more responsive to local conditions.
While national and state-level averages hold importance, Mishra noted that they often fail to reveal critical differences on the ground, emphasizing that data must capture local variations accurately. He asserted that simply gathering more data is insufficient, stressing that information must remain timely, reliable, comparable and useful for decision-making.
To achieve more granular insights reflecting local climate variations, Mishra pushed for combining administrative records, household surveys, satellite imagery and geospatial data. He pointed to assessments by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research under its National Innovations in Climate Resilient Agriculture programme, which determined that 310 out of 651 agricultural districts in the country are highly or very highly vulnerable to climate change.
Mishra connected climate change directly to economic development, agricultural productivity, water availability, food security, public health and livelihoods. He emphasized that people require access to affordable, diverse and nutritious diets, cautioning that climate-related disruptions could impact the availability and affordability of essential items such as pulses, fruits, vegetables and milk.
Addressing global cooperation, Mishra observed that nations in the Global South encounter shared obstacles, including climate variability, resource pressure, and the imperative to secure food and nutrition. Because these challenges transcend national borders, he advocated for sharing data, research, policy experiences and successful strategies to formulate localized solutions.
Furthermore, Mishra noted that India's long-term objectives of achieving developed-nation status by 2047 and net-zero emissions by 2070 must be carefully balanced with ongoing economic growth, poverty reduction and enhanced living standards.
The Environment for Development Network operates as a global coalition of environmental economics research centres dedicated to connecting academic research with practical policymaking surrounding environmental and development challenges.