Kerala is set to witness a major push for climate-resilient agriculture as the Union Ministry of Agriculture launches the Viksit Krishi Sankalp Abhiyan (VKSA) across all 14 districts of the state from October 3 to 18. The fortnight-long campaign will deliver district-specific climate-smart advisories and farmer-centric innovations, bringing together policymakers, scientists, and farming communities under one collaborative platform.

At a preparatory webinar convened by the ICAR–Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI), experts underscored that tailored advisories will help farmers adopt precautionary measures in water management, pest and disease surveillance, soil health maintenance, and bio-input development across agriculture, animal husbandry, and fisheries. The forum also flagged rising wild boar attacks as an immediate threat to crops and rural livelihoods in Kerala, alongside climate-induced adversities.

The roadmap for VKSA prioritises crop diversification, technology-driven systems, and inter-agency collaboration. The campaign aims to not only popularise government schemes and disseminate commercially viable technologies, but also to identify researchable issues directly from the field and document farmer-led innovations. Stakeholders spanning the Union Ministry of Agriculture, state departments of agriculture, fisheries, animal husbandry, ICAR institutes, Kerala Agricultural University, Veterinary University, Fisheries University, and Krishi Vigyan Kendras will be actively involved.

“This campaign’s primary objective is to create awareness about innovative technologies and identify researchable issues from the ground up,” said Dr. Grinson George, Director of CMFRI and Nodal Officer of VKSA for Kerala. He highlighted the campaign’s collaborative structure—scientific expertise from ICAR research institutes, coordination with state departments, technical support from agricultural universities, and district-level leadership from KVKs.

The May edition of VKSA reached more than 2.5 lakh farmers across Kerala, and this upcoming chapter is expected to expand the reach further, benefitting plantation crops, food crops, animal husbandry, dairying, and fisheries alike. Dr. V. Venkatasubramanian and Dr. Saju George also addressed the webinar, reinforcing the importance of building resilience in Kerala’s agri-food systems.

This campaign signals a shift from fragmented interventions to a systems-driven approach, positioning Kerala’s farmers at the forefront of climate adaptation and innovation in Indian agriculture.