India, May 26 -- Recent unseasonal rains damaged 250,000 hectares of rabi crops. Such events highlight the broader challenge of the climate crisis. Not only erratic monsoons, but intensifying heat waves as well are impacting the country's agriculture in unfamiliar ways.

As climate variability intensifies, farmers are among the most impacted, as shifting conditions require reshaping a wide range of decisions including those around fertiliser application, irrigation times, and harvest schedules, to name a few. Associated with such events is also the volatility of prices and timely availability of relevant inputs. No longer can farmers rely on time tested traditional practices.

In times of unpredictable weather, the natural response of gov...