Confederation of Indian Industry and Environmental Defense Fund launch the Resilient Dairy Alliance to promote sustainability and climate resilience in dairy.
The Confederation of Indian Industry – Food and Agriculture Centre of Excellence and the Environmental Defense Fund have jointly constituted the Resilient Dairy Alliance (RDA) as a collaborative platform to advance the transition toward a more resilient and sustainable dairy ecosystem in India. The Alliance has been co-created to systematically identify barriers to the adoption and scaling of climate-resilient practices across the dairy value chain.
“Climate resilience in dairy is central to safeguarding farmer livelihoods and ensuring the long-term sustainability of the sector.Through the Resilient Dairy Alliance, we aim to support scalable, farmer-centric approaches that improve productivity and income stability while strengthening resource-use efficiency,” said Kavery Ganguly, Principal Lead, CII-FACE, in a statement.
India’s dairy sector plays a vital role in rural livelihoods and food systems, supporting millions of small and marginal farmers across the country and contributing nearly a quarter of global milk production. Dominated by smallholder households owning two to five animals, dairy functions primarily as an allied livelihood, providing regular income and strengthening household resilience. At the same time, the sector faces increasing pressures linked to productivity constraints, feed and fodder availability, and climate-related stresses such as rising temperatures and variable rainfall, which are affecting animal health, milk yields, and farm-level economics. Addressing these challenges through climate-resilient practices offers an opportunity to improve productivity and income stability for farmers while enhancing resource-use efficiency and supporting the long-term sustainability of the dairy sector.
Drawing on insights from multi-state consultations and stakeholder engagements across major dairy-producing regions, the Alliance has identified priority focus areas: feed and nutrition optimization, manure management, climate-resilient farm practices, and inclusive technology adoption. RDA will scale proven solutions through collaboration, shared learning and engagement with policymakers and industry stakeholders.
“Many practices that enhance resilience, such as improved feed efficiency, animal health, and nutrient management, also contribute to more productivity and lower emission intensity,” said Vrashabh Kapate, Senior Manager, Global Dairy Sector, EDF. “RDA provides a collaborative platform to advance solutions that deliver economic benefits for smallholder farmers while supporting broader sustainability objectives.”
News Courtesy : Economic times