NEW DELHI, 11 November 2025 : The National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW) to advance climate-resilient agriculture, expand green finance, and strengthen sustainable livelihoods across rural India.
The collaboration seeks to combine NABARD’s extensive financial reach with CEEW’s analytical and policy expertise to develop scalable, data-driven models of rural climate action. These will focus on supporting climate-resilient agriculture, decentralised renewable energy (DRE) enterprises, sustainable forestry, agroforestry, and rural MSMEs linked to the green economy.
The partnership will also work to expand digital public infrastructure, improve access to innovative financial instruments, and mobilise green capital through voluntary carbon and rural carbon markets.
NABARD Chairman Shaji K. V said the collaboration will integrate advanced data systems and climate-resilient tools into NABARD’s institutional framework. “Together, we aim to scale solutions for climate-smart farming, expand green finance, and build adaptive capacity for India’s rural economy,” he said.
CEEW Founder-CEO Dr Arunabha Ghosh said the initiative would create technology-enabled, transparent systems to empower farmers and local institutions. “By mainstreaming financial tools such as parametric insurance and carbon markets, we can build resilience from the ground up,” he added.
The agreement signals a strategic shift in India’s rural development approach, placing climate resilience at the core of agricultural growth and rural finance. NABARD has already established a Department of Climate Action and Sustainability (DCAS) to drive this agenda and pilot projects linking carbon finance with agri value chains.
CEEW’s research highlights that institutional capacity, technology access, and financing are key to scaling climate-resilient agriculture (CRA). By linking these strengths, NABARD and CEEW aim to build an inclusive and resilient rural economy aligned with India’s long-term sustainability goals.
