Indian Education System

Climate Resilient Agriculture

“Need for climate resilient agriculture in India today”       

National Initiative on Climate Resilient Agriculture (NICRA) was launched during February 2011^[1] by Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) with the funding from Ministry of Agriculture, Government of India. The mega project has three major objectives of strategic research, technology demonstrations and capacity building. Assessment of the impact of climate change simultaneous with formulation of adaptive strategies is the prime approach under strategic research across all sectors of agriculture, dairying and fisheries. Evolving climate resilient agricultural technologies that would increase farm production and productivity vis-à-vis continuous management of natural and manmade resources constitute an integral part of sustaining agriculture in the era of climate change. The four modules of NICRA – natural resource management, improving soil health, crop production and livestock – is aimed making the farmers self-reliant.

The need for a climate resilient approach to agriculture is critical for India where more than 80 percent agriculturists are small-holder farmers. The insights, lessons, and experiences gained from WOTR’s climate change adaptation project are formulated into a series of Position Papers on various themes. The strong trends in climate change already evident, the likelihood of further changes occurring, and the increasing scale of potential climate impacts give urgency to addressing agricultural adaptation more coherently. There are many potential adaptation options available for marginal change of existing agricultural systems, often variations of existing climate risk management. Hence, more systemic changes in resource allocation need to be considered, such as targeted diversification of production systems and livelihoods, and also to achieve increased adaptation action will necessitate integration of climate change-related issues with other risk factors, such as climate variability and market risk, and with other policy domains, such as sustainable development. Dealing with the many barriers to effective adaptation will require a comprehensive and dynamic policy approach covering a range of scales and issues, for example, from the understanding by farmers of change in risk profiles to the establishment of efficient markets that facilitate response strategies. Science, too, has to adapt. Multidisciplinary problems require multidisciplinary solutions, i.e., a focus on integrated rather than disciplinary science and a strengthening of the interface with decision makers. A crucial component of this approach is the implementation of adaptation assessment frameworks that are relevant, robust, and easily operated by all stakeholders, practitioners, policymakers, and scientists.

International Relations, Afghanistan.

“Heart of Asia - Istanbul Process “

It was established to provide a platform to discuss regional issues, particularly encouraging security, political, and economic cooperation among Afghanistan and its neighbors. This region-led to expand practical coordination between Afghanistan, its neighbors and regional partners in facing common threats, including counterterrorism, counternarcotics, poverty, and extremism. The United States and over 20 other nations and organizations serve as “supporting nations” to the process. The Heart of Asia-Istanbul Process presents a new vision of cooperation and confidence building for the region with Afghanistan at its centre. On 2 November 2011, Foreign Ministers from 14 countries spanning from Central Asia to the Middle East South Asia, and South Asia to Eurasia gathered in Istanbul, Turkey, and adopted the "Istanbul Process on Regional Security and Cooperation for a secure and stable Afghanistan,” as a new agenda for regional cooperation. The countries from the above mentioned regions now collectively known as the 'Heart of Asia' Region, declared their 'readiness to engage in sincere, result oriented cooperation at all levels, which will not just help Afghanistan, but will also be beneficial to security and prosperity in the region as a whole'.

The Heart of Asia-Istanbul Process articulates a set of principles, such as respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity, and promoting cooperation in the areas of common challenges and shared interests in the region; and provides a platform for discussing key regional issues among participating states. The Heart of Asia-Istanbul Process has three main elements of Political Consultation involving Afghanistan and its near and extended neighbors, A sustained incremental approach to implementation of the Confidence Building Measures (CBMs) identified in the Istanbul Process document and Seeking to contribute and bring greater coherence to the work of various regional processes and organisations, particularly as they relate to Afghanistan.

The Istanbul Process Ministerial examines the Afghani recovery process and, specifically, how interregional cooperation can facilitate it. The Ministerial brings together regional representatives from both the private and public sector to discuss prospective developmental and restructuring initiatives. The process has several areas of concentration on education particularly an emphasis on student exchanges, disaster management, drug trafficking, terrorism and counter terrorism measures. It also emphasizes greater interregional cooperation. The Asian Development Bank’s Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation Program (CAREC) which is working on cross border transport agreements between Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Afghanistan. Afghanistan- Pakistan Transit Trade Agreement. Black Sea Corridor Initiative. Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India Pipeline. Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Tajikistan railroad project.