How Climate-Smart Tech & AgriEntrepreneurs Are Transforming Small Farms… 

Climate change and technological progress are reshaping India’s smallholder agriculture. A recent report from the Federation of All India Farmer Associations (FAIFA) reflects growing yield losses (6–25% for wheat, 3–15% for rice by 2050), especially for rain-fed crops in semi-arid areas. Meanwhile, schemes like PMKUSUM are scaling solar irrigation across millions of farms, offering both energy and income benefits through subsidized solar pumps. Yet, adoption hurdles persist, and farmers still lack awareness, digital access, or the human support needed to navigate these tools. 

This is precisely where SFI and AEGF’s models become vital. Syngenta Foundation India is bridging policy and practice through various climate-smart interventions, like drip, DSR, Soil Testing, and Integrated Pest Management—coupled with aggregation of credit, insurance (PMFBY), and market linkages.  

SFI has been forefront in promoting Climate Smart Agriculture (CSA) through targeted training modules, empowering farmers with essential knowledge and skills. The CSA projects have trained over 6,700 Agri-Entrepreneurs and benefited more than 45,000 farmers through capacity-building programs, with an ambitious goal to reach 2 million farmers in the next five years in collaboration with ICAR. Key interventions include promotion of Stress Tolerant Varieties, Land Configuration Methods, Seed Treatment, Integrated Nutrient and Pest Management, Water Management and Tree Plantation. Thereby, we are contributing to making the farm operation more climate smart, ensuring Productivity, Adaptation and Mitigation (PAM). The initiative also focuses on Soil Health Management and Promotion of Decentralized Renewable Energy (DRE) technologies in partnership with multiple stakeholders.  

AEGF complements this by training local youth and women to serve as AgriEntrepreneurs—change agents through AE Model, who help farmers access PMKUSUM, PMFBY, climate-resilient seeds, and precisionagri apps, translating policy potential into on-the-ground impact 

As India’s agricultural landscape evolves, the human link—trusted local advisors—remains critical. Through our AE Model, SFI and AEGF are not just promoting technologies, but are creating the local change agents from the rural areas who are then enabling farmers in improving incomes, managing risks, and building resilience. With over 23,000+ AEs trained (53%) women AEs) and 2.5 million farmers benefited so far, we are spearheading inclusive, adaptive agriculture that meets today’s climate and economic challenges.