Climate change concerns & its impact on agriculture at Sustainability Matters Regional Policy Dialogue in Bhopal

Sustainability Matters brings together policymakers, experts, and farmers to chart pathways for climate-resilient farming; Awards to honour sustainability champions.

Bhopal, May 07, 2025: As the world grapples with the mounting consequences of climate change, its impact on food systems has become a global emergency. From unpredictable rainfall to rising temperatures, climate volatility is already reshaping agriculture across continents. In this urgent context, India, home to over 100 million farmers, is witnessing increasingly erratic monsoons, declining yields, and worsening water stress. To address these challenges head-on, Sustainability Matters and IndiAgri are organising a high-impact Regional Policy Dialogue on Climate Change & Its Impact on Agriculture on May 10, 2025, as part of the ongoing series.

Solidaridad Network, which works throughout the whole supply chain to make sustainability the norm and enable farmers and workers to earn a decent income, produce in balance with nature, and shape their own future, is the sustainability partner of this event.

The dialogue follows the success of the Sustainable Agriculture Summit & Awards 2024, held in Delhi in August 2024, and reflects a growing consensus that climate adaptation in agriculture is not a choice but a necessity. Experts warn that India’s food systems face an existential threat with major declines predicted in yields of rainfed crops like rice by 2050 and beyond if urgent adaptive strategies are not adopted.

“Indian agriculture stands at a crossroads. What we need now is not incremental change, but a bold recalibration of policy and practice. This dialogue is a step in that direction,” said Dr Navneet Anand, Executive Director, Sustainability Matters.

Dr Anand informed that hosting the dialogue in Madhya Pradesh is deliberate and strategic choice. “As a state where over 70% of the population is engaged in agriculture, Madhya Pradesh plays a critical role in India’s food security matrix. Its extensive cultivation of wheat, pulses, and oilseeds makes it a bellwether for understanding how climate risks could ripple through national supply chains,” said Dr Anand.

The one-day event will feature two focused panel discussions titled; ‘Climate-Resilient Agriculture: Adapting to Changing Weather Patterns’ and ‘Sustainable Water Management in Agriculture: Conservation and Productivity’. Many experts including policymakers, agriculture scientists, agri-startup founders, progressive farmers, farmers producers organisations, and grassroots practitioners will join the discussion. An award ceremony will also be held to honour and felicitate those who have made contributions in sustainable agriculture. 

“Solidaridad is proud to support this initiative as sustainability partner. We bridge global climate commitments with local agricultural realities. The need of the hour is to support farmers not only with knowledge, but also with systems that enable sustainable and regenerative agriculture practices,”,” added Dr Suresh Motwani, General Manager, Solidaridad.

“Policy interventions must be grounded in science, but responsive to the realities of our farmers,” said Dr Jay G Varshney, Former Director of the Directorate of Weed Research, ICAR. “This dialogue offers a timely platform to integrate climate science with field-level action.”

In addition to the discussions, the event will host a Sustainability Awards Ceremony, recognising champions who are driving transformative change across India’s agricultural landscape. The awards span eight categories including Climate-Smart Agriculture Champion; Water Conservation Pioneer; Soil Health Champion; Young Agripreneur Award; Community-Led Agriculture Sustainability Award; AgTech Startup of the Year; Biodiversity Guardian Award; Progressive Farmers Recognition. Along with Dr Varshney, Dr Ravindra Kumar Sohane, Director of Education & Extension, Bihar Agriculture University is the Jury for the Sustainability Awards.

The dialogue is being organised with Solidaridad as the Sustainability Partner, and receives knowledge support from Forum for Indian Journalists on Education, Environment, Health & Agriculture (FIJEEHA) and the Centre for Environment & Development Studies. GreyMatters Communications is the official Communications and Event Partner.

Upcoming Regional Dialogues are scheduled for Chandigarh, Patna, and Guwahati, each designed to address region-specific agricultural challenges and climate responses, thereby creating a national repository of actionable insights.