New Alliance Boosts Sustainable Indian Dairy

The Confederation of Indian Industry - Food and Agriculture Centre of Excellence and the Environmental Defense Fund have established the Resilient Dairy Alliance (RDA). This collaborative platform is designed to accelerate the adoption of climate-resilient practices throughout India's dairy value chain. The RDA will systematically address obstacles hindering the implementation and scaling of these sustainable methods.

The alliance prioritizes farmer livelihoods and the long-term viability of the dairy sector. Initiatives will support scalable, farmer-centric approaches aimed at enhancing productivity and income stability. Simultaneously, these efforts will focus on improving resource-use efficiency within the sector.

Priority focus areas identified include optimizing feed and nutrition, enhancing manure management, implementing climate-resilient farm practices, and promoting inclusive technology adoption. The RDA will facilitate the scaling of successful solutions through collaboration, knowledge sharing, and engagement with policymakers and industry stakeholders.

Many resilience-building practices, such as improved feed efficiency and animal health, also boost productivity and reduce emission intensity. The RDA provides a crucial platform for advancing solutions that offer economic benefits to smallholder farmers while supporting broader sustainability objectives. The alliance comprises diverse stakeholders, including cooperatives, dairy companies, producer institutions, and input providers.