15th BRICS Agriculture Ministers’ Meeting

At the 15th BRICS Agriculture Ministers’ Meeting held in Brazil, India reaffirmed its dedication to inclusive, equitable, and sustainable agriculture.

Key Highlights of BRICS Declaration

• Commitment to Sustainability: BRICS nations reiterated their shared goal of building a fair, inclusive, innovative, and sustainable agri-food system.
• Launch of BRICS Land Restoration Partnership: This partnership aims to combat land degradation, desertification, and declining soil fertility through scientific and traditional convergence.
• Focus Areas: The declaration emphasized food security, climate resilience, empowerment of women and youth, sustainable livestock and fisheries, land restoration, digital agriculture certification, and financial and trade frameworks for the Global South.
• Invitation to Global Events: India invited BRICS nations to participate in World Food India 2025 and the World Audio-Visual Entertainment Summit 2025 to foster innovation and collaboration.

Indian Government Initiatives for Sustainable and Inclusive Agriculture

• National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture (NMSA): Aims to make agriculture more productive, sustainable, and climate-resilient.
• National Innovations on Climate Resilient Agriculture (NICRA):Focuses on strategic research and technology transfer for climate adaptation in farming.
• Waste to Wealth and Circular Economy: Promotes sustainable resource use and agricultural waste management.
• Promotion of Bio-fertilizers and Traditional Farming: Encourages organic and eco-friendly farming practices using indigenous knowledge.
• Technological Advancement in Agriculture:  Initiatives like the Digital Agriculture Mission, AgriStack, drone technology, and Climate-Resilient Villages were shared as models improving transparency, services, and farmer income.
• Public Support Systems: Fair agricultural trade, stable global pricing, public food stockholding, and minimum support prices (MSP) to ensure farmer welfare.
• Targeting small farmers: Policies such as cluster-based farming, Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs), cooperative models, and natural farming as tools to empower small farmers.
• Women Empowerment in Rural India: Programs like Lakhpati Didi and Drone Didi, shows India’s commitment to empowering women socially, economically, and politically.