Cultivating Resilience: Advancing Climate-Smart Agriculture in South Asia

Climate change presents one of the most significant challenges to the agriculture sector in South Asia, affecting the livelihoods of millions who depend on farming and related sub-sectors such as forestry, crops, livestock, poultry, fisheries, and aquaculture. The multi-faceted impacts of climate change are among the most significant challenges for the agriculture sector in South Asia. Many working-age populations are dependent on agriculture and related sub-sectors, such as forestry, crops, livestock, poultry, fisheries, and aquaculture, for their livelihoods.

The CARE South Asia Project seeks to strengthen climate-smart agriculture (CSA) by formulating relevant policies, guidelines, and investment plans while building institutional and community capacities. Its focus is on enhancing resilience through key policy recommendations and the development of action plans aimed at sustainable production, stronger farming systems, and improved farmer livelihoods.

The policy document developed under the CARE for South Asia project has played a vital role in promoting crop production technologies, livestock breeds, fisheries, and CSA tools and practices, contributing to greater resilience of farming systems in the face of climate change. Alongside, the project’s capacity-building efforts have supported the transformation of agriculture into a more productive, vibrant, and sustainable sector for resilience building across the project countries.

• Identification and validation of promising CSA technologies and practices (Year 1–3).
• Integration of CSA into policy framework, institutional capacity enhancement, and collaboration mechanism (Year 3–4).
• Iterative evaluation of project interventions and addressing new issues arising from changing climate (Year 4–5).
• Development of CSA-based policy guidelines and investment plans at national and provincial levels in collaboration with relevant departments and ministries in Bangladesh, Nepal, and Pakistan.
  • Bangladesh: Step-by-Step Guidelines for Scaling up Climate-Smart Agricultural Practices in Bangladesh.
  • Nepal: Climate-Smart Agriculture Investment Plan (CSAIP) of Madhesh Province.
  • Pakistan: Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Guidelines and Sustainable Agricultural Waste Management (SAWM) Guidelines for Punjab Province.
• Capacity-building trainings for 342 individuals (204 males and 138 females) from national organizations, research institutions, and CBOs across the three countries.

• Integrating policy documents into national systems is a key step toward building climate-resilient agricultural development.
• Adoption of CSA and CSL practices enhances farmers’ capacity to adapt to climate challenges.
• Strong institutional mechanisms with horizontal and vertical linkages are essential for widespread adoption.
• Climate-resilient agricultural policies mitigate adverse effects of climate change on crops, livestock, water, and soil.
• Access to climate finance (low-interest loans, grants, subsidies) is crucial for advancing CSA.
• Integrating CSA/CSL policies into national agricultural plans ensures sustainable, climate-responsive interventions.

Integrating policy documents into national systems is a key step toward building climate-resilient agricultural development. For farmers and farming communities, the adoption of Climate-Smart Agriculture (CSA) and Climate-Smart Livestock (CSL) practices enhances their capacity to adapt to climate-related challenges. Institutions—including government agencies, farmers’ organizations, and academia—are also benefiting from the increased resilience enabled by these policy interventions. Moreover, the application of climate-resilient technologies and policies is contributing significantly to the development of more sustainable and resilient agri-food systems.

Strong institutional mechanisms—with both horizontal (across sectors) and vertical (across governance levels) linkages—are essential for the widespread adoption of CSA and CSL practices. Climate-resilient agricultural policies play a critical role in mitigating the adverse effects of climate change on crops, livestock, water resources, and soil. Integrating CSA/CSL policy documents into government systems ensures that both farmers and extension officials are equipped with the necessary technologies and interventions to make informed, climate-responsive decisions.

Enhancing access to climate finance is crucial for advancing climate-resilient agricultural development. Providing low-interest loans, grants, and subsidies can incentivize farmers to adopt climate-smart agricultural technologies. Moreover, integrating climate-smart policies and guidelines into national agricultural plans is essential for ensuring that development interventions remain sustainable and aligned with evolving climate conditions.

Integrating CSA/CSL policies and investment plans into government systems—and scaling up CSA practices—can significantly contribute to climate-resilient agricultural development, but this will require targeted strategic actions and continued efforts across the project countries.

In Bangladesh, integrating Step-by-Step Guidelines into national systems will be a key milestone for the effective implementation of ongoing projects such as CSAWM, AMISD, and other pipeline projects. This integration will also support the wider adoption of CSA technologies across diverse agro-climatic zones. To institutionalize resilient agricultural practices, climate-resilient policy interventions are essential. These should be complemented by targeted sectoral investments to drive sustainable and climate-resilient agricultural development across the country.

In Nepal, the Prime Minister Agriculture Modernization Program (PMAMP) emphasizes the commercialization of agriculture at the provincial level. Additionally, the Provincial Planning Commission of Madhesh Province has recognized the importance of Climate-Smart Agriculture and Livestock services in official documents, such as the “Project Bank” and the Chief Minister Agriculture Innovation Programme. This creates significant opportunities for technical collaboration and the implementation of CSA/CSL projects in the province. The Climate-Smart Agriculture Investment Plan (CSAIP) will be guided by a strategy based on short-term, medium-term, and long-term investments. Short-term investments will focus on stress-tolerant varieties, fertilizers, and Integrated Pest Management (IPM)/Integrated Nutrient Management (INM). Medium-term investments will prioritize capacity building, proper financing (agricultural loans), and small-scale irrigation schemes, while long-term investments will focus on large irrigation projects, feed and fertilizer industries, and the development of drought- and submergence-tolerant varieties.

In Pakistan, particularly in Punjab Province—the country’s most populous and agriculturally significant region—there is a critical need to enhance capacity building on Integrated Pest Management (IPM) and Sustainable Agricultural Waste Management (SAWM). Training programs should target farmers, extension workers, policymakers, and community-based organizations (CBOs) to effectively implement the policy documents co-developed under the CARE for South Asia Project and the Punjab provincial government.

To ensure long-term impact and access to climate finance, institutional capacity must be strengthened to design bankable projects that meet international climate funding criteria. Additionally, integrating IPM and SAWM guidelines into provincial and national policies, such as the Punjab Agriculture Policy and the National Climate Change Policy, is essential for policy coherence and mainstreaming.

Enhanced inter-agency collaboration among agricultural, environmental, and financial institutions will further support cohesive implementation. Finally, incorporating adaptation strategies, including disaster risk reduction (DRR) frameworks, will equip both farmers and policymakers with the necessary tools and guidance to address climate-related challenges more effectively.