State Climate Action Archives

Climate Change and Makhana Farmers of Bihar – Opportunities and Solutions

Makhana, or Fox Nut, though cultivated by a limited number of farmers in Bihar, has gained national and global recognition for its nutritional value and health benefits. It is increasingly being seen as a superfood, with growing demand and rising prices. However, the changing climate—especially long spells of hot and dry weather – has started to pose serious challenges for traditional and Chaur farmers engaged in its cultivation.

To understand these challenges better, Asar and Regenerative Bihar have collaborated on a study involving makhana producers, subject experts, and other key stakeholders across the state. The report documents their experiences, identifies the major issues they face, and presents recommendations to make makhana cultivation more climate-resilient and economically viable

Building a Climate Resilient Jharkhand

This report documents a national conference on climate change in Jharkhand, co-hosted by Asar and PDAG, which brought together over 100 stakeholders—including government officials, CSOs, academics, and local leaders. The discussions focused on three themes: climate adaptation and mitigation, decentralised renewable energy (DRE), and just transition. Key outcomes included the need for localised renewable energy solutions, the role of panchayats in energy governance, integration of traditional knowledge into policy, and the urgency of planning a just coal transition. Recommendations included setting up independent transition cells, improving DRE financing, and leveraging DMFT funds for sustainable development.

Building Climate Resilience of East Champaran

This report documents East Champaran’s efforts to tackle climate vulnerability through the Bihar government’s Jal-Jeevan-Hariyali Mission. Focused on water security, afforestation, clean energy, and climate-resilient agriculture, the district implemented large-scale projects like pond restoration, check dam construction, and drip irrigation. Community institutions like Jeevika (SHGs) played a central role, especially in social forestry and water management. Initiatives such as the “Guardians of Champaran” for heritage tree conservation and integrated farming models further strengthened resilience. The report showcases East Champaran as a model for climate adaptation through convergence, community participation, and innovative governance.

Summary Report | Co-Creation Conclave 2022

Held on October 1, 2024, in Ranchi, the Co-Creation Conclave 2.0 brought together over 30 participants from 23 organisations to advance a community-centric Just Transition in Jharkhand. Building on discussions from the first conclave in May 2024, the event focused on actionable steps for livelihood diversification, strengthening CBOs, skill development, and grassroots engagement. Key themes included institutional collaboration, women’s leadership, climate resilience, and inclusive planning. Participants co-developed action plans across three areas—livelihoods, CBO platforms, and capacity building—while prioritising grassroots engagement and technical support. The conclave fostered collective ownership and mapped pathways toward a climate-resilient, just Jharkhand.

Gaya’s Journey Towards Climate Resilience – Documenting Best Practices Under the Jal Jeevan Haryali Mission

Bihar’s Gaya district, is not only a site of immense cultural and spiritual significance—known as the place where Buddha attained enlightenment—but also a region increasingly vulnerable to climate impacts. Gaya faces severe challenges such as rising temperatures, erratic rainfall, and frequent droughts, which threaten its agriculture, water resources, and overall livelihood security. These vulnerabilities make Gaya a critical area for focused efforts on climate resilience and sustainable development. The Jal-Jeevan-Hariyali Mission (JJH Mission) aims to address these issues through integrated water management and ecological restoration through active community involvement. This mission is essential not only for enhancing water availability but also for promoting climate resilience and sustainable livelihoods in Gaya among other things. Understanding the best practices under this mission is vital for informing future climate action strategies in Bihar and similar regions.

Insights from Conference of Panchayats 2.0 – Locally Led Climate Action in Jharkhand: Present and Future

Taking inspiration from the global Conference of Parties on Climate Change, the Conference of Panchayats (CoP) was conceptualised by PDAG and Asar in 2022 to localise climate discourse and action. CoP uses a bottom-up, community-driven model that centres Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) as pivotal actors in localised climate response. The second edition, CoP 2.0, held between July 2023 and January 2024 across five divisions of Jharkhand, brought together over 250 elected PRI members, community leaders, CSOs, and government officials.

The convenings focused on:

Understanding climate vulnerabilities faced by Jharkhand’s communities,
Showcasing local adaptation and mitigation practices, and
Exploring the potential of climate finance and convergence mechanisms to build resilience.

Participants shared lived experiences of climate impacts—declining rainfall, water scarcity, deforestation, crop losses, and disproportionate burdens on women and indigenous groups. Strategies like rainwater harvesting, crop diversification, afforestation, and use of renewable energy were discussed. Local governance bodies showcased initiatives and highlighted gaps in funding, awareness, and technical support.

Key takeaways include the need to empower Gram Panchayats, integrate climate resilience into village development plans, invest in climate-smart agriculture and skill-building, and build an institutional framework for a Just Transition in coal-dependent regions.

CoP 2.0 underscores that climate solutions must be local, inclusive, and informed by traditional knowledge—with PRIs leading the way.

Tamil Nadu Agriculture Sector: Looking For A Win-win-win For Farm Viability, Water Use Reduction Or Elimination, + Efficient Use Of Clean Energy

Tamil Nadu’s agriculture sector is deeply intertwined with groundwater use and electricity access, creating a complex and unsustainable cycle. Agriculture accounts for nearly 89% of groundwater use in the state, where over-extraction has led to severe depletion. More than 50% of assessed groundwater units are over-exploited or critical, with alarming declines seen in northern and western districts.

This crisis is driven by several factors: increasing cultivation of water-intensive crops like paddy and sugarcane, widespread use of electric and diesel pumps, rainfall deficits, and declining surface irrigation infrastructure. Electricity supplied to farmers is highly subsidised and unmetered, leading to inefficient irrigation practices. While Tamil Nadu has over 20 lakh active agricultural electricity connections, farmers face poor-quality supply, delayed connections, and inequitable access—especially among smallholders.

Efforts to solarise irrigation under schemes like KUSUM offer promise but remain limited in reach and impact. The state’s groundwater legislation was repealed in 2013 and has yet to be replaced, leaving a regulatory vacuum.

The report highlights the urgent need for integrated solutions that ensure farm viability, reduce groundwater stress, and promote clean energy use. Holistic reforms across agriculture, water, and power sectors are critical to building a resilient and sustainable future for Tamil Nadu’s farmers.

Conference of Panchayats (CoP): Climate Change and Just Transitions in Jharkhand

India signed Paris Agreement at COP 21 and committed to reduce emission intensity of gross domestic product (GDP) by 33 percent to 35 percent by 2030. It has also pledged to increase the share of non-fossil fuels-based electricity generation, increase its forest cover along with several other measures. While such transition is much needed towards sustainable forms of energy, there is a growing concern related to labour displacement in the existing coal value chain.

Jharkhand has a huge role to play in helping India meet its commitments because of its large-scale dependence on coal mining. Besides that, there are a large number of coal-based power plants which are a major source of carbon emission. Increasing consumption of coal to generate power is facing major challenges with respect to cost competitiveness and the commitment made by the country to be a Net Zero Carbon neutral country by 2070.

Policy & Development Advisory Group (PDAG) in partnership with ASAR, conducted a Conference of Panchayats (COP) on Climate change and Just Transitions. The two-day conference (14th and 15th March 2022) was organised, allocating full day sessions for local elected representatives (Mukhiya and Pramukh), NGOs/CSOs from North Chotanagpur (Bokaro, Dhanbad, Hazaribagh, Ramgarh) and South Chotanag- pur (Ranchi, Khunti, Gumla, Simdega) divisions. The sessions were moderated by Sumit Kumar, Senior Consultant at PDAG and Munna Jha, Network and Media Strategist at ASAR. The two-day conference was attended by the key stakeholders from the districts of the North and South Chotanagpur divisions.

The conference aimed to foster a discussion around climate change mitigation strategies at the grassroots level and key issues and challenges to ensure Just Transitions in the regions impacted by coal mining in Jharkhand.