The partnership is to advance climate-resilient agriculture and sustainable livelihoods in rural India ?
FinTech BizNews Service
Mumbai, October 31, 2025: The National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) today signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW), one of Asia’s leading think-tanks, to strengthen climate-resilient agriculture, scale up green rural financing, and promote a wide spectrum of sustainable livelihoods across India’s rural economy. By combining innovation, investment, and institutional capacity, NABARD and CEEW aim to create models of rural climate action that are scalable, inclusive, and transformative—helping India’s farmers and small enterprises adapt to the changing climate while driving sustainable economic growth.
The collaboration brings together NABARD’s extensive nationwide financial network and CEEW’s analytical and policy expertise to accelerate India’s transition towards a greener, more resilient rural economy. The partnership will support diversified livelihood pathways including climate resilient agriculture, decentralised renewable energy (DRE) enterprises, sustainable forestry and agro-forestry, and rural MSME ventures tied to the green economy. It will also strengthen digital public infrastructure, expand access to innovative financial instruments, and mobilise green capital via voluntary carbon and rural carbon markets.
Shri Shaji K. V, Chairman, NABARD, said, “NABARD has long been at the forefront of financing sustainable rural transformation. This collaboration with CEEW will enable us to integrate advanced data systems and climate-resilient tools into our institutional ecosystem. Together, we aim to create scalable solutions for climate-resilient agriculture, expand access to green finance, and enhance the adaptive capacity of India’s farmers and rural enterprises.”
Dr Arunabha Ghosh, Founder-CEO, CEEW, said, “Through this partnership with NABARD, we will build data-driven and technology-enabled systems that empower farmers, green rural enterprises, and local institutions to thrive in a changing climate. This collaboration will also help mainstream new financial tools—from parametric insurance to voluntary carbon markets—anchored in transparency, inclusion, and resilience. Equally, by strengthening institutional capacity and local leadership, we can ensure that climate resilience is built from the ground up and sustained for generations.”
The MoU signals a strategic shift: climate-resilient agriculture at the core, livelihoods and green economy as the engine, green finance and carbon markets as the enablers. NABARD has already deepened its climate-resilience agenda by establishing a dedicated Department of Climate Action and Sustainability (DCAS) to steer its strategy. It has also piloted projects on climate-proofing watershed investments and integrating carbon finance into agricultural value chains. Meanwhile, CEEW’s research underscores the urgency of scaling climate-resilient agriculture (CRA), noting that institutional capacity, technology access and financing are key enablers for rural systems to adapt effectively. By linking these strengths, the two institutions set the stage for rural growth that is both green and resilient.
