ICAR's Climate-Resilient and Biofortified Crop Varieties (Agriculture)
ICAR's Climate-Resilient and Biofortified Crop Varieties (Agriculture)
Why In News:
The Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) has developed climate-resilient and biofortified crop varieties, aimed at strengthening India's food and nutrition security in the face of climate change.
Source: PIB Today, 16 July 2026, 'Climate-Resilient & Biofortified Crop Varieties'
Understanding the Two Categories
Climate-resilient varieties: Bred to tolerate abiotic and biotic stresses - heat, drought, flood, salinity, and pests - enabling stable yields under variable and extreme weather conditions.
Biofortified varieties: Bred or fortified to be naturally richer in essential micronutrients - specifically Zinc (Zn), Iron (Fe), Vitamin A, and Protein - to combat hidden hunger and micronutrient malnutrition.
Significance
Enhances productivity and farmer resilience by reducing crop-loss risk from climatic shocks, particularly important given the rising frequency of heatwaves and erratic monsoons.
Strengthens nutrition security, complementing government nutrition missions such as POSHAN Abhiyaan and the Fortification of Rice initiative under the Public Distribution System.
Supports sustainable and climate-smart agriculture, aligned with India's commitments under the National Innovations in Climate Resilient Agriculture (NICRA) project run by ICAR.
Key Facts for Prelims
Biofortification refers to enhancing the nutrient content of food crops through conventional plant breeding, improved agronomic practices, and modern biotechnology, without compromising consumer-preferred traits.
It is considered a nutrition-sensitive agricultural strategy aimed at addressing deficiencies of essential vitamins and minerals.Examples include:
Iron enrichment in rice, beans, sweet potato, cassava, and legumes.
Zinc enrichment in wheat, rice, beans, sweet potato, and maize.
Provitamin A carotenoid enhancement in sweet potato, maize, and cassava.
Protein and amino acid enrichment in sorghum and cassava.
ICAR functions under the Department of Agricultural Research and Education (DARE), Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, and is headquartered in New Delhi.