Policymakers and Academics Urge Science-Led Integration to Tackle Climate and Food Security

KOZHIKODE — Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister, PK Mishra, has called for the integration of scientific research, granular data, and evidence-based policymaking to address interconnected challenges across climate change, agriculture, food security, and nutrition. Speaking virtually at the inauguration of the 20th annual meeting of the Environment for Development (EfD) Network at the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Kozhikode, Mishra stated that climate change carries far-reaching implications for agricultural productivity, water availability, food prices, public health, and livelihoods.

The flagship global conference of environmental economics research centres is being jointly organized by the India Japan Centre for Climate and Culture at IIM Kozhikode, the Centre for Research on the Economics of Climate, Food, Energy and Environment (CECFEE) at the Indian Statistical Institute, Delhi, and EfD India.

Mishra emphasized that food security must extend beyond adequate production to guarantee access to affordable, diverse, and nutritious diets. Pointing to the necessity of locally tailored adaptation strategies, he cited Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) assessments indicating that 310 out of India's 651 agricultural districts are highly or very highly vulnerable to climate change. He stressed that data must be timely, reliable, comparable, and actionable to translate scientific evidence into effective policy responses.

IIM Kozhikode Director Debashis Chatterjee underscored the EfD Network's role in bringing the rigor of environmental economics to sustainable development and poverty alleviation. He noted that policy serves merely as a blueprint, with its true worth realized through implementation via political leadership and administrative partnerships.

The inaugural session drew several prominent delegates, including Saurabh Garg, Secretary of the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation; Soumya Swaminathan, Chairperson of the MS Swaminathan Research Foundation and former Chief Scientist of the World Health Organisation; and Shamika Ravi, Member of the Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister.

During the sessions, Saurabh Garg spoke on modernizing data ecosystems for policy impact, highlighting the evolution of India's statistical and survey architecture, such as the Household Consumption Expenditure Survey (HCES) and the Annual Survey of Unincorporated Sector Enterprises (ASUSE). Shamika Ravi explored how HCES data shapes nutrition policy by identifying dietary diversity and micronutrient intake to inform social protection and food-security programs. Meanwhile, Soumya Swaminathan addressed the alignment of climate, agriculture, and nutrition policies, pointing to the interconnections between farming systems, sustainable diets, and public health.

"The integration of granular data, scientific research, and regional assessments is critical for addressing modern environmental and agricultural challenges. As highlighted during the EfD Network meeting at IIM Kozhikode, translating policy blueprints into actionable, locally tailored strategies requires strong institutional partnerships and robust data systems. For businesses and policymakers alike, aligning sustainability initiatives with empirical evidence will be essential to building resilient economic and food ecosystems." — Dr. Shishir Gupta, Founder & CEO, StartupLanes