New Delhi, April 18 (IANS) There is an urgent need to place the welfare of small and marginal farmers at the centre of global agricultural strategies, Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has said, adding that agriculture for India is not merely an economic activity, but a source of livelihood, food and dignity for millions of families.

At the 15th meeting of BRICS Agriculture Ministers in Brazil's Brasilia, India reaffirmed its commitment to inclusive, equitable, and sustainable agriculture, an official statement said on Friday.

Agriculture Minister Chouhan underscored that global food security and rural development goals would remain incomplete unless small farmers are protected and empowered.

He highlighted that the world’s 510 million smallholder farmers are the backbone of the global food system and are also the most vulnerable in the face of climate change, price volatility, and resource scarcity.

Chouhan stated that we cannot leave smallholders to fight these challenges alone; they need our policy support.

He presented cluster-based farming, Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs), cooperative models, and natural farming as effective approaches for the collective empowerment of small farmers and improving their market access.

Chouhan also cited India’s food storage and distribution capacity during the Covid-19 crisis as a case in point, through which free rations were distributed to over 800 million people.

He shared its technological initiatives – Digital Agriculture Mission, AgriStack, drone technology, and Climate-Resilient Villages – and explained how these innovations have significantly improved service delivery, transparency and farmer incomes.

The Union Minister also mentioned initiatives like Lakhpati Didi and Drone Didi as examples of India’s commitment to the social and economic empowerment of rural women, stating: "For India, empowering women socially, economically, and politically is a mission."

In the Joint Declaration, BRICS nations collectively reiterated their resolve to make the global agri-food system fair, inclusive, innovative, and sustainable.

The declaration emphasised commitments to food security, climate adaptation, empowerment of women and youth, sustainable fisheries and livestock development, soil and land restoration, digital agriculture certification, and promotion of financial and trade mechanisms for the agricultural economies of the Global South.

The formal announcement of the BRICS Land Restoration Partnership further reinforced the group’s collective commitment to halting land degradation and desertification.