The Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), under the Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, has conducted a comprehensive study on cropping patterns and hydrological realities across India. The study utilized Central Ground Water Board (CGWB) data and monthly gridded GRACE satellite data, revealing a significant mismatch between water demand from existing cropping patterns and actual water availability in groundwater-depleted states, particularly in Punjab, Haryana, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Maharashtra, Karnataka, and Tamil Nadu, which encompass the arid and semi-arid climates of the country.
ICAR has prepared an 'Atlas of cropping systems in India' and identified alternative cropping systems as sustainable alternatives to cereal-dominated systems, considering prevailing agro-climatic conditions, resource availability including water availability, and market opportunities. The council has also developed agro-ecological and district-specific crop plans for 14 major crops: rice, wheat, maize, pearl millet, sorghum, pigeon pea, chickpea, soybean, mustard, groundnut, cotton, sugarcane, potato, and onion by combining Relative Spread Index (RSI), Relative Yield Index (RYI), Sustainable Yield Index (SYI), and Soil-climate suitability index (SCSI).
The assessment identified that rice, sugarcane, cotton, and jute are major water-intensive crops occupying about 62.7 million hectares, representing nearly one-third of the country's gross cropped area. Specifically, about 2.89 million hectares of rice are cultivated in 68 districts receiving less than 650 mm annual rainfall, accounting for approximately 5.67% of the total rice area (51 million hectares). Similarly, about 0.721 million hectares of sugarcane are cultivated in 91 districts receiving less than 700 mm annual rainfall, representing about 10.76% of the total sugarcane cultivated area (6.7 million hectares).
The Government is promoting crop diversification from water-intensive crops to relatively low water-requiring crops such as pulses, oilseeds, millets, and horticultural crops, considering local water availability, soil characteristics, agro-climatic suitability, and sustainable use of natural resources. Under the Pilot Project on Crop Diversification, ICAR has implemented location-specific crop diversification interventions in 47 identified districts. During 2023–24 to 2025–26, ICAR organized 457 training programmes benefiting 8,749 farmers and 4,592 extension functionaries to promote scientific crop diversification and sustainable crop management practices.
Multiple government schemes are being implemented to promote sustainable agriculture, including the Prime Minister Dhan-Dhaanya Krishi Yojana (PM-DDKY) which promotes sustainable agriculture in 100 aspirational agricultural districts through convergence of interventions such as crop diversification, irrigation development, and post-harvest infrastructure. The Per Drop More Crop (PDMC) component of Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY) promotes efficient water use through drip and sprinkler irrigation systems. The Soil Health Card Programme provides crop-specific fertilizer recommendations, and the Watershed Development Component of PMKSY (WDC–PMKSY 2.0) promotes integrated watershed management.
ICAR also promotes soil health management through soil test-based balanced and Integrated Nutrient Management (INM), Soil Test Crop Response (STCR)-based general fertilizer recommendations, and micronutrient mapping with location-specific nutrient recommendations. The council has developed rapid soil testing kits and digital decision-support tools disseminated through Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs).
For long-term water security and climate-resilient agriculture, ICAR is promoting rainwater harvesting, farm ponds, groundwater recharge, conjunctive water use, conservation agriculture, micro-irrigation, and AI-based irrigation scheduling. Technologies being promoted include Direct Seeded Rice (DSR), System of Rice Intensification (SRI), Alternate Wetting and Drying (AWD), raised-bed planting, laser land levelling, and climate-resilient, water-efficient crop varieties.
Under the National Innovations in Climate Resilient Agriculture (NICRA), ICAR promotes climate-resilient crop varieties tolerant to drought, flood, salinity and heat stress, Climate Resilient Villages (CRVs) in 151 vulnerable districts, and District Agriculture Contingency Plans for 651 districts. These initiatives are supported through Government schemes including the National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture (NMSA), PMKSY-PDMC, WDC-PMKSY 2.0, and PM-DDKY.