ICRISAT, ICAR-CRIDA & IRRI Partner with Government of Odisha for the Roll Out Odisha Agriculture Drought Mitigation Programme

Supported under the National Disaster Mitigation Fund (NDMF) of the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), Government of India, and the Odisha State Disaster Management Authority (OSDMA), the initiative aims to strengthen drought resilience and climate preparedness across rainfed agricultural regions of Odisha.

The programme will be implemented by ICRISAT and partners in selected blocks of Nuapada, Nabarangpur, and Mayurbhanj districts, covering nearly 24,000 farming households expected to benefit directly. Wider spillover benefits are also anticipated through convergence with existing schemes and ongoing development initiatives.

OADMP adopts a science-led, landscape-based approach, integrating soil and water management, climate-resilient crops, diversified farming systems, livelihoods, nutrition, and value chains to build long-term resilience in drought-prone regions.

Speaking at the inception workshop, Shri Kanak Vardhan Singh Deo, Hon’ble Deputy Chief Minister of Odisha, emphasized the importance of proactive drought preparedness, stating, “When rainfall is uncertain, farmers should not be uncertain about support. Building resilience before drought strikes is critical for protecting livelihoods. We must harness the value rich agro-diversity for resilience and increased farmers income.”

Dr Arabinda Padhee, IAS, Additional Chief Secretary, Department of Agriculture and Farmers’ Empowerment, Government of Odisha highlighted the need to shift from scheme-based implementation towards systems-oriented and farmer-centric models, with strong emphasis on women farmers, climate-smart technologies, and evidence-based decision-making.

Explaining the programme’s integrated approach, Dr Shalander Kumar, Principal Scientist, ICRISAT, noted, “We need to focus on moving from scheme-based, fragmented interventions to integrated systems, through Resilient Agriculture Village Clusters (RAVCs).

There is a need to deliver solutions at scale to strengthen farming systems, connecting value chains for sustainable livelihoods under drought-prone conditions.”

The workshop also featured expert-led technical inputs by Dr Gajanan Sawargaonkar, Principal Scientist-Agronomy, ICRISAT; Dr Swati Nayak, South Asia Lead – Seed Systems, IRRI; Dr K.V. Rao, Principal Scientist-Soil & Water Conservation Engineering, ICAR–CRIDA; Dr V.K Singh, Director, ICAR- CRIDA and Dr G. Venkateshwarlu, ICAR–CRIDA, reflecting the collaborative and multi-institutional nature of the programme.

Highlighting ICRISAT’s commitment to the partnership, Dr Himanshu Pathak, Director General, ICRISAT, stated, “This programme demonstrates how international expertise can be leveraged to support state and national priorities by building strong partnerships across state, national, and international institutions for drought mitigation.”

The workshop brought together senior officials from the Government of Odisha, district administrations, technical experts, and partner institutions. Discussions focused on strengthening district-level drought preparedness, enabling inter-departmental convergence, and promoting the role of community institutions such as Self-Help Groups (SHGs) and Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs) in sustaining outcomes.

By combining science-led planning, institutional convergence, and community participation, OADMP is positioned as a scalable model for drought mitigation and climate-resilient agriculture for Odisha as well as other states.