Written question asked by Virendra Sharma (Labour) on Tuesday, 7 December 2010, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Thursday, 9 December 2010. It was answered by Andrew Mitchell (Conservative) on Tuesday, 14 December 2010 on behalf of the Department for International Development.

India: Agriculture

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development (1) what steps his Department is taking to seek to ensure that the (a) poorest and (b) most marginal farmers in India can adapt to climate change in (i) 2010-11, (ii) the next five to 10 years and (iii) the next 50 years;

Answer: The Department for International Development (DFID) is supporting the poorest and most marginal farmers in the Indian states of Orissa and Madhya Pradesh to increase their income, diversify their livelihoods, improve their food security and better adapt to climate change (through forestry, water resources development, rain-fed farming and decentralising rural administration). In 2010-11, we are supporting 20,680 of the poorest households and 16,503 of the most marginal farmer households in these states to adapt to climate change.In terms of future plans, the Secretary of State for International Development has launched a bilateral aid review of all DFID country programmes, including India, to ensure that we are giving aid where it is most needed, to help the world's poorest people. We are in close dialogue with the Government of India about the future of the India programme. Details will be announced upon conclusion of the review process.

Secondary information