India stands at a crossroads as climate change intensifies, bringing with it erratic monsoons, punishing droughts, and devastating floods. The country’s smallholder farmers—who make up a staggering 80 percent of the agricultural sector—are on the front lines of these changes, struggling to adapt while keeping their livelihoods afloat. Meanwhile, urban centers across India are grappling with their own climate-driven crises, as extreme rainfall events overwhelm inadequate drainage systems, leading to catastrophic flooding and widespread disruption. The dual challenges facing rural and urban India paint a complex picture of a nation striving to build resilience in the face of a changing climate.
On August 17, 2025, Syngenta Group Chief Sustainability Officer Petra Laux spoke candidly about the urgent need for government policies that incentivize sustainable farming practices. According to the Press Trust of India (PTI), Laux underscored that smallholder farmers are particularly vulnerable to climate shocks, such as unpredictable monsoon patterns and extreme weather events. “Government policies must incentivise sustainable farming to support India's smallholder farmers, as they face intensifying climate challenges like erratic monsoons, droughts, and floods,” she emphasized.
The agricultural sector’s predicament is further complicated by its outsized role in global emissions. Agriculture is responsible for 25 percent of worldwide greenhouse gas emissions, yet it receives only 5 percent of climate transition funding, according to PTI’s reporting. This funding gap is hampering the adoption of climate-smart practices, which are essential for reducing emissions and building resilience. Laux noted, “Subsidies rewarding climate-smart practices are critical to drive change.”
For smallholders, the risks of adopting sustainable practices are substantial. With farm sizes often limited to just 1-2 hectares, the potential for income loss looms large. Uncertain crop prices and the absence of premiums for climate-smart crops make it difficult for farmers to justify switching to more sustainable methods. Laux told PTI, “Uncertain crop prices discourage smallholders from using sustainable methods. The lack of premiums for climate-smart crops, unlike niche organic markets, limits progress.”
The issue isn’t confined to India. Globally, consumer reluctance to pay more for sustainably grown food is a significant barrier. “There’s no premium for sustainably grown crops or reduced emissions. It’s global, and one reason for this is that the consumer in the supermarket doesn’t want to pay more,” Laux explained. Scaling up emission reduction projects, such as Syngenta’s methane-focused initiative near Delhi, has proven difficult, particularly when targeting export markets.
Despite these challenges, there is hope. India’s new generation of young, digitally skilled farmers are poised to lead the way in adopting sustainable practices. But, as Laux pointed out, policy support is crucial. She advocated for government subsidies that reward “more responsible farmers,” drawing inspiration from Europe’s conditional subsidy models and Denmark’s farm emission taxes. “None of them have given any subsidies focusing on smart agriculture, not at scale,” she observed, highlighting the need for more ambitious policy frameworks. The upcoming COP30 climate summit in Brazil is expected to put these issues front and center, with commitments from major traders like Pepsi and Louis Dreyfus Company (LDC) to source regeneratively grown crops. However, financing remains a sticking point.
Syngenta Foundation India is already making strides by connecting more than 3 million farmers to its digital platform, which provides price transparency, market access, and agronomic advice. These tools are designed to boost incomes and help smallholders weather climate shocks. For those managing just a few hectares, Syngenta offers microfinancing and cutting-edge technologies such as high-yield seeds and biostimulants. These innovations are intended to enhance resilience against drought and heat, two of the most pressing threats to Indian agriculture.
Biostimulants and other natural-origin products are central to Syngenta’s sustainability strategy. By improving nutrient uptake, they help cut down on fertilizer overuse—a major driver of agricultural emissions—while also stabilizing yields. Laux explained, “Biostimulants are vital for climate adaptation and soil health, increasing carbon sequestration.” Although farmer awareness is growing and retail inquiries are on the rise, adoption remains at an early stage due to an uncertain regulatory environment in India.
Syngenta also champions regenerative agricultural practices, including no-till farming, crop rotation, cover crops, and precision inputs. These are supported by specialized herbicides and innovative seed varieties. For example, Syngenta’s portfolio includes seeds that reduce methane emissions from livestock by altering corn starch composition, as well as herbicides that enable alternate wet-dry rice farming to lower emissions. “All technologies are crucial for sustainability,” Laux stated, adding that “regenerative practices ensure long-term soil health and farm resilience.” Biologicals, which include biostimulants and other natural products, are the fastest-growing segment in Syngenta’s sustainability portfolio.
While rural India battles the elements in the fields, the country’s cities are facing their own climate-induced emergencies. In a paper published on August 17, 2025, by Rumi Aijaz of the Observer Research Foundation (ORF), the escalating threat of extreme water events in urban areas was laid bare. According to Aijaz, cities around the world—including those in India—are being battered by sudden, massive inflows of rainwater during typhoons, cyclones, or intense monsoon spells. The consequences are dire: flooding, waterlogging, restricted mobility, power outages, damaged infrastructure, and tragically, loss of life.
Aijaz’s review of recent incidents in India, Spain, and the United Arab Emirates found that most cities are simply not designed to cope with the volume of water unleashed by extreme weather events. Existing drainage systems are buckling under the pressure, unable to channel water to treatment plants or surface bodies quickly enough. “Cities are generally not designed nor adequately prepared to absorb the water and channel it properly, especially during extreme weather events that cause excessive inflows. This can often lead to a disaster,” Aijaz wrote.
To address these challenges, Aijaz outlined innovative approaches from cities like Shanghai and Rotterdam, which have implemented advanced systems for managing excessive rainwater in dense urban environments. These methods—ranging from green infrastructure to smart surveillance systems—offer valuable lessons for India’s urban planners. The paper emphasized the urgent need to strengthen rainwater resilience in Indian cities, arguing that better management strategies are essential to mitigate the adverse impacts of extreme rainfall, which are only expected to worsen as the climate crisis deepens.
The stories of India’s farmers and cities are deeply intertwined, both shaped by the unpredictable forces of climate change. Whether it’s a smallholder in Punjab weighing the risks of adopting a new biostimulant or a city official in Mumbai scrambling to prevent the next flood, the message is clear: resilience requires innovation, investment, and, above all, supportive policies. As global attention turns to COP30 in Brazil, India’s experience offers a compelling case for why climate adaptation must be both rural and urban, practical and ambitious.
As the nation grapples with these dual challenges, the path forward will demand collaboration across sectors, creative policy solutions, and a willingness to invest in both people and technology. The stakes could not be higher—for the farmers who feed the nation, and the cities that drive its growth.