Bhubaneswar: In a significant move to strengthen climate resilience in the agriculture sector, the Odisha Government, through the Department of Agriculture & Farmers’ Empowerment (DAFE), on Saturday convened a high-level inception workshop to formalise the Climate-Smart Agriculture (CSA) Alliance for Odisha in collaboration with the Centre for Study of Science, Technology and Policy (CSTEP) and Catalyst Management Services (CMS).
The Alliance aims to bring together senior government officials, research institutions, private sector partners, civil society organisations, development agencies and policy experts to collaboratively scale climate-smart agriculture practices across the state.
Addressing the workshop, Principal Secretary of the Agriculture & Farmers’ Empowerment Department, Dr Arabinda Kumar Padhee, said climate change cannot be addressed in isolation and requires concerted efforts to mitigate and adapt to its adverse impacts. He said the Odisha Climate-Smart Agriculture Alliance would serve as a platform to showcase and implement climate-smart technologies prioritised by CSTEP across the state through various partner organisations.
Dr Padhee added that the Alliance seeks to integrate climate resilience into agricultural planning and programmes, strengthen soil and water conservation as foundational resilience measures, promote climate-resilient crops, diversified farming systems and horticulture, and leverage science, digital tools and data-driven decision-making. He further emphasised the importance of mobilising public, private and blended finance to ensure scalable climate-smart agriculture solutions.
Vice-Chancellor of Orissa University of Agriculture and Technology (OUAT), Prof Pravat Kumar Roul, said the impacts of climate change are real and increasingly evident, underlining the need for collective action to make agricultural systems smarter. He stressed that such efforts are essential to mitigate climate risks and ensure food and nutrition security for the growing population at both the state and global levels.
Director of Soil Conservation and Watershed Development, Subrat Kumar Panda, said climate-smart agriculture is no longer optional but central to safeguarding farmer livelihoods, food security and the long-term sustainability of the agriculture sector.
Dr Indu K. Murthy, Sector Head at CSTEP, said the CSA Alliance places farmers at the centre of climate action. She noted that CSTEP, as part of the Climate Resilience Cell and anchor of the Alliance, aims to co-create solutions that are locally relevant, economically viable and scalable, ensuring that climate resilience efforts directly improve livelihoods while protecting natural resources.
Shiv Kumar, Co-founder and Director of Catalyst Management Services (CMS), said the strength of the Alliance lies in its diverse partners, each contributing distinct capabilities, experience and commitment. He said collective action would help reduce risk, accelerate learning and unlock finance, ensuring climate-smart solutions move beyond pilot projects to sustained adoption across Odisha, while enabling innovation to scale and farmers to gain resilience and dignity.
Officials said the insights generated during the workshop will directly inform the Alliance’s roadmap, flagship programmes and governance structure. The Climate-Smart Agriculture Alliance reflects Odisha’s commitment to collaborative, science-based and farmer-centric climate action and aims to position the state as a national leader in climate-resilient agriculture.
The workshop was attended by senior officers of the Agriculture Department, representatives of research institutions including CRRI, IIWM, CIWA and CIFA, agriculture scientists, private sector partners, civil society organisations, development agencies and policymakers. Additional Secretary Shubhranshu Mishra delivered the vote of thanks at the conclusion of the programme.
