SHIVAMOGGA: Gadag, Haveri and Chitradurga districts have been placed in the ‘very high climate-risk’ Category owing to recurring drought, underlining the growing vulnerability of the state’s rain-fed agricultural regions to climate change.
The classification, based on a national assessment, points to sustained threats from erratic rainfall, prolonged dry spells and rising temperatures that are already disrupting farming cycles across north and central Karnataka.
The information was revealed by Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare in India Ram Nath Thakur in the Lok Sabha in reply to an unstarred question from Davanagere MP Dr Prabha Mallikarjun.
The assessment has been carried out by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) under its National Innovations in Climate Resilient Agriculture (NICRA) project. The study involved district-level risk and vulnerability analysis for 651 predominantly agricultural districts across the country, following Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) protocols.
Out of the 651 districts assessed across the country, 310 were identified as vulnerable to climate change impacts. Of these, 109 districts were categorised as facing ‘very high’ climate risk. This includes Karnataka’s Gadag, Haveri and Chitradurga.
The categorisation reflects the increasing exposure of these districts to drought conditions, fluctuating monsoon patterns and rising heat stress, which pose serious challenges to crop productivity and farmers’ livelihoods.
To address the impact of climate change on agriculture, the minister said the ICAR has released 2,900 crop varieties over the past 10 years, from 2014 to 2024. Of these, 2,661 varieties are tolerant to one or more biotic and abiotic stresses.
Climate-resilient and drought- and flood-tolerant varieties of rice, wheat, soybean, mustard, chickpea, sorghum, gram and foxtail millet are being showcased in several NICRA villages through Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs).
Ram Nath Thakur said technical assistance under the NICRA is currently being extended to 151 vulnerable districts, with plans to cover additional districts in the coming years to promote the adoption of climate-resilient practices among small and marginal farmers.
Village-level institutions such as Village Climate Risk Management Committees, seed banks and fodder banks have been established to ensure smooth functioning and need-based technology penetration. Custom Hiring Centres set up under KVKs are helping farmers carry out timely farm operations by providing access to improved machinery, Ram Nath said.