New Delhi, August : The Government of India is intensifying efforts to promote crop diversification, micro-irrigation, and climate-resilient farming to tackle groundwater depletion, improve water-use efficiency, and ensure sustainable agricultural growth, the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare informed the Lok Sabha.

In a written reply, Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Shri Bhagirath Choudhary, said the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) has undertaken extensive studies on cropping patterns and water availability across the country. Using data from the Central Ground Water Board (CGWB) and GRACE satellite observations, ICAR identified a significant mismatch between the water demand of existing cropping systems and groundwater availability in several water-stressed states, including Punjab, Haryana, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Maharashtra, Karnataka, and Tamil Nadu.

To support evidence-based agricultural planning, ICAR has prepared an "Atlas of Cropping Systems in India" and identified sustainable alternatives to cereal-dominated farming systems based on agro-climatic conditions, natural resource availability, water resources, and market opportunities.

The Council has also developed agro-ecological and district-specific crop plans for 14 major crops—rice, wheat, maize, pearl millet, sorghum, pigeon pea, chickpea, soybean, mustard, groundnut, cotton, sugarcane, potato, and onion. These plans combine scientific indicators such as the Relative Spread Index (RSI), Relative Yield Index (RYI), Sustainable Yield Index (SYI), and Soil-Climate Suitability Index (SCSI) to recommend region-specific cropping strategies.

According to ICAR's assessment, rice, sugarcane, cotton, and jute together occupy about 62.7 million hectares, accounting for nearly one-third of India's gross cropped area, despite being among the country's most water-intensive crops.

The study revealed that around 2.89 million hectares of rice are cultivated across 68 districts receiving less than 650 mm of annual rainfall, representing 5.67 percent of the country's total rice area. Similarly, 0.721 million hectares of sugarcane are grown in 91 districts receiving less than 700 mm of annual rainfall, accounting for 10.76 percent of India's sugarcane cultivation. These findings provide a scientific basis for promoting location-specific crop diversification in regions facing recurring water scarcity and declining groundwater levels.

Based on these assessments, the Government is encouraging farmers to shift from water-intensive crops to pulses, oilseeds, millets, and horticultural crops, taking into account local water availability, soil characteristics, agro-climatic suitability, and long-term sustainability.

Under the Pilot Project on Crop Diversification, ICAR has implemented location-specific interventions in 47 identified districts. The Council has also standardised optimal irrigation scheduling and drip fertigation techniques for different crops to improve water-use efficiency and productivity. Between 2023-24 and 2025-26, ICAR organised 457 training programmes, benefiting 8,749 farmers and 4,592 agricultural extension personnel to promote scientific crop diversification and sustainable crop management practices.

The Government is complementing these efforts through several flagship programmes aimed at sustainable agriculture and efficient water management.

The Prime Minister Dhan-Dhaanya Krishi Yojana (PM-DDKY) promotes sustainable agriculture in 100 aspirational agricultural districts through convergence of interventions such as crop diversification, irrigation development, natural and organic farming, post-harvest infrastructure, Integrated Pest Management (IPM), and Integrated Nutrient Management (INM).

The Per Drop More Crop (PDMC) component of the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY) encourages the adoption of drip and sprinkler irrigation systems to maximise irrigation efficiency and conserve water.

The Soil Health Card Programme continues to promote soil test-based nutrient management by providing farmers with crop-specific fertilizer recommendations, while the Watershed Development Component of PMKSY (WDC-PMKSY 2.0) supports integrated watershed management through soil and water conservation, rainwater harvesting, groundwater recharge, restoration of degraded lands, and sustainable management of natural resources.

ICAR is also promoting scientific soil health management through Integrated Nutrient Management (INM), Soil Test Crop Response (STCR)-based fertilizer recommendations, micronutrient mapping, rapid soil testing kits, and digital decision-support tools. These technologies are being disseminated through Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs), frontline demonstrations, and farmer training programmes to improve nutrient-use efficiency and maintain long-term soil fertility.

To strengthen water security, ICAR is advancing technologies such as rainwater harvesting, farm ponds, groundwater recharge, conjunctive use of surface and groundwater, in-situ moisture conservation, conservation agriculture, protective irrigation, micro-irrigation, and AI-, sensor-, and weather-based irrigation advisory systems.

The Council is also promoting water-saving agricultural technologies including Direct Seeded Rice (DSR), System of Rice Intensification (SRI), Alternate Wetting and Drying (AWD), raised-bed planting, laser land levelling, mulching, drip irrigation, sprinkler irrigation, and climate-resilient crop varieties through demonstrations and capacity-building programmes conducted by KVKs and State extension agencies.

To improve resilience against climate change, ICAR is implementing the National Innovations in Climate Resilient Agriculture (NICRA) programme. The initiative promotes drought-, flood-, salinity-, and heat-tolerant crop varieties, has established Climate Resilient Villages (CRVs) in 151 vulnerable districts, prepared District Agriculture Contingency Plans for 651 districts, and provides weather-based agro-advisories along with farmer training through KVKs.

These interventions are supported by flagship government schemes including the National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture (NMSA), Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY), Watershed Development Component of PMKSY (WDC-PMKSY 2.0), and the Prime Minister Dhan-Dhaanya Krishi Yojana (PM-DDKY), which together aim to strengthen climate resilience, improve water-use efficiency, and promote environmentally sustainable agriculture across the country.

The information was provided by Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Shri Bhagirath Choudhary, in a written reply in the Lok Sabha.