Kozhikode : The interconnected challenges of climate change , agriculture , food security and nutrition must be addressed by integrating scientific research, granular data and evidence-based policymaking, P K Mishra , principal secretary to the Prime Minister said.




Delivering the virtual inaugural address at the 20th Annual Meeting of the Environment for Development (EfD) Network at IIM Kozhikode on Tuesday, Mishra said that climate change was no longer merely an environmental concern, as it had far-reaching implications for agricultural productivity, water availability, food prices, public health and livelihoods. Food security, he noted, should go beyond adequate production to ensuring access to affordable, diverse and nutritious diets.




Citing ICAR assessments, Mishra said 310 of India’s 651 agricultural districts were highly or very highly vulnerable to climate change. He called for region-specific adaptation strategies and timely, reliable data to translate scientific findings into effective policy interventions.




The inaugural session was attended by IIM Kozhikode director Debashis Chatterjee, Statistics and Programme Implementation Secretary Saurabh Garg, M S Swaminathan Research Foundation chairperson Soumya Swaminathan and Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister member Shamika Ravi, among others.




The four-day meeting, being held from 11 to 14 November 2026, has brought together over 115 national and international delegates to deliberate on critical challenges at the intersection of climate change, environmental sustainability and economic development.




The meeting is jointly organised by IIM Kozhikode, India Japan Centre for Climate and Culture, Centre for Research on the Economics of Climate, Food, Energy and Environment (CECFEE), the Indian Statistical Institute, Delhi and EfD India.